Title 5Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73

§5751 Travel expenses of witnesses

Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart D— - Pay and Allowances › Chapter CHAPTER 57— - TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUBSISTENCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 5751

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Under rules the Attorney General makes, employees covered by section 2105 (but not people paid by the Secretary of the Senate or the House’s Chief Administrative Officer) who are called to testify or to give official records for the United States must be paid travel expenses under subchapter I. If the testimony is about their agency’s work, the agency pays from its travel funds with proper paperwork. If it is not about their agency’s work, the agency can pay first and then get reimbursed by the agency that should be charged. If they testify or provide records for a party other than the United States, they also must get travel expenses under subchapter I unless the court, agency, or party that called them already pays.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §5751

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Under such regulations as the Attorney General may prescribe, an employee as defined by section 2105 of this title (except an individual whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives) summoned, or assigned by his agency, to testify or produce official records on behalf of the United States is entitled to travel expenses under subchapter I of this chapter. If the case involves the activity in connection with which he is employed, the travel expenses are paid from the appropriation otherwise available for travel expenses of the employee under proper certification by a certifying official of the agency concerned. If the case does not involve its activity, the employing agency may advance or pay the travel expenses of the employee, and later obtain reimbursement from the agency properly chargeable with the travel expenses.
(b)An employee as defined by section 2105 of this title (except an individual whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives) summoned, or assigned by his agency, to testify in his official capacity or produce official records, on behalf of a party other than the United States, is entitled to travel expenses under subchapter I of this chapter, except to the extent that travel expenses are paid to the employee for his appearance by the court, authority, or party which caused him to be summoned.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–186 substituted “Chief Administrative Officer” for “Clerk” in subsecs. (a) and (b).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 5751

Title 5Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73