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“What’s New” on FMX

October, 2016

Double-Check CBA and CLIBA Payment Procedures

Entering procurement and travel card transactions into USAS or CAPPS Financials requires special considerations for the timely reconciliation of payments.

Agencies should double-check the procedures for entering credit card information into USAS and CAPPS invoice number fields as detailed in the CBA and CLIBA Numbers section of USAS and CAPPS Financials Invoice Number Field Requirements (FPP E.023).

For more information, see Processing Third-Party Transactions in USAS for Payment/Travel Cards, Direct Bill Payments and Reimbursements (FPP A.043) or phone or email your agency’s Purchase and Travel contact.

Final EEO Report Copies Available Nov. 16

Final copies of the 2016 Equal Employment Opportunity Report (FPP F.016) will be sent to each agency and institution of higher education via electronic file transfer on Nov. 16.

Nov. 14 is the deadline for making data corrections. Corrections entered or submitted after this date will not be reflected in the final report. The Comptroller’s office will send the final report to the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission on Nov. 16.

Reminder – Benefits Proportional by Fund Reports Due Nov. 18

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to ensure payments of benefit costs are proportional to the agency’s or institution’s funding from appropriated funds, unless another legal provision prohibits proportionality.

Benefits Proportional by Fund Reports and related adjustments are due Nov. 18.

Agencies and institutions funded with a single appropriated fund must submit a letter confirming this status by Nov. 18.

For forms and sample letters, see Benefits Proportional by Fund (APS 011) (FPP A.010).

Reminder – Benefit Replacement Pay Leveling Election Due

State agencies that permit eligible employees to level their benefit replacement pay (BRP) must update their payroll/personnel systems for December payrolls paid in calendar year 2017.

While statute determines which state employees and state-paid judges are eligible to receive BRP, individual state agency policy dictates whether employees have the choice of receiving their BRP in equal monthly payments over the course of a calendar year. This choice is called leveling and must be exercised before the beginning of each calendar year.

For more information, see Benefit Replacement Pay (BRP) Leveling Election (FPP F.035).

CAPPS HR/Payroll – Mail Code Notice and Guidance

Payments made from CAPPS payroll reporting agencies out of USAS to a mail code of PR1 or PR2 will be paid by warrant after Oct. 21, 2016.

  • On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, direct deposit instructions for mail codes PR1 and PR2 will be purged from the TINS system.
  • The mail codes for PR1 and PR2 will remain in TINS; however, they will not have direct deposit instructions associated with them.
  • Agency staff should select another mail code that is appropriate (i.e., SP1).

Budget T-Codes Effective Date Changed

The effective start date for budget T-codes 001, 003, 006, 009, 012, 015, 018, 021, 036, 039, 040, 041, 042 and 043 will be changed to “09012016” at 7 a.m. on Nov. 2. Fiscal Management’s Financial Reporting section verifies general revenue information submitted by state agencies and needs to ensure that agencies cannot backdate entries, which would change the agency’s general revenue amount.

The general revenue reconciliation certification is due on Nov. 1. For questions on these changes, please contact your financial reporting analyst.

Reminder – Annual Encumbrance Certification and Automated Lapsing Coming Up

Per Encumbrance Report and Lapsing of Appropriations (APS 018) (FPP A.019), state agencies and institutions of higher education must submit the online Annual Certification by Oct. 30.

An automatic lapse program will run in USAS as early as the Nov. 1 nightly cycle.

Reminder – Preliminary EEO Report Copies Available Oct. 31

Preliminary copies of the 2016 Equal Employment Opportunity Report (FPP F.016) will be sent to agencies and institutions of higher education via electronic file transfer on Oct. 31. The files will be available with the agency’s regular daily downloads.

Deadlines:

  • Nov. 7 – Preliminary Equal Employment Opportunity Report Acknowledgement Form due.
  • Nov. 14 – Data corrections due

Data corrections entered or submitted after Nov. 14 will not be reflected on the final report issued on Nov. 16.

Deadlines Approaching for Community/Junior Colleges First Quarter Veteran Workforce Reporting

Public community and junior colleges are required to provide quarterly data on veteran hiring and employment by completing the Comptroller’s electronic Veteran Workforce Reporting for Public Community/Junior College form. The online quarterly reporting form (with required veteran complaint reporting included) will be available Dec. 16 and must be submitted by Dec. 23.

For more information including form criteria, instructions and deadlines, see Public Community and Junior Colleges Veteran Workforce Reporting Criteria in Veteran Workforce Summary Reports and Veteran Complaint Reporting (FPP F.038).

Benefit Replacement Pay Leveling Election Due

State agencies that permit eligible employees to level their benefit replacement pay (BRP) must update their payroll/personnel systems for December payrolls paid in calendar year 2017.

While statute determines which state employees and state-paid judges are eligible to receive BRP, individual state agency policy dictates whether employees have the choice of receiving their BRP in equal monthly payments over the course of a calendar year. This choice is called leveling and must be exercised before the beginning of each calendar year.

For more information, see Benefit Replacement Pay (BRP) Leveling Election (FPP F.035).

Preliminary EEO Report Copies Available Oct. 31

Preliminary copies of the 2016 Equal Employment Opportunity Report (FPP F.016) will be sent to agencies and institutions of higher education via electronic file transfer on Oct. 31. The files will be available with the agency’s regular daily downloads.

Deadlines:

  • Nov. 7 – Preliminary Equal Employment Opportunity Report Acknowledgement Form due
  • Nov. 14 – Data corrections due

Data corrections entered or submitted after Nov. 14 will not be reflected on the final report issued on Nov. 16.

Notify Comptroller’s Office of Personal Safety Exception to Open Records Requests

An exception to open records requests is available for employees who would be under substantial threat of physical harm if information such as work location were to be made public. See Personal Safety Exception in Confidential Employee Information for Open Records Requests Requiring Agency Input (FPP L.004).

If your agency has employees who may qualify for the personal safety exception, contact Ruth Soucy in Open Records at (512) 475-0411 or Ruth.Soucy@cpa.texas.gov.

Update Agency Link to Where the Money Goes

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to include a link to the Comptroller’s Where the Money Goes expenditure database on their websites. The URL for the database and visual tools have changed with the rebuild of Comptroller.Texas.Gov.

For more information, see Where the Money Goes Requirements (FPP G.004).

See Dates for Annual Encumbrance Certification and Automated Lapsing

By Oct. 30 each year, state agencies and institutions of higher education must lapse appropriation balances that exceed the level necessary to satisfy any outstanding binding encumbrances and/or payables.

All agencies must submit the online Annual Certification by Oct. 30.

The Comptroller’s office is statutorily required to lapse all unencumbered nonconstruction appropriation balances for all prior appropriation years on Nov. 1 of each fiscal year. To facilitate this, an automatic lapse program will run in USAS as early as the Nov. 1 nightly cycle.

For full details, see Encumbrance Report and Lapsing of Appropriations (APS 018) (FPP A.019).

CAPPS HR/Payroll: Texas Workforce Commission Wage Reporting

The CAPPS Support team will submit wage reports to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) for all FY16 deployed CAPPS HR/Payroll agencies in 2016.

All FY16 deployed agencies should run the report in Production before Oct. 21, 2016 in order for the CAPPS Support team to submit the report to TWC. Attached are instructions on how to run the report (Excel).

Note: All FY15 deployed agencies (212, 213, 313, 608) will continue to submit via QuickFile in 2016.

Beginning January 2017, the CAPPS support team will process the report in CAPPS and submit to TWC for all CAPPS HR/Payroll agencies.

Warrant Cancellation Procedures Changed

Effective Oct. 3, state agencies and institutions of higher education are required to use the new Treasury Operations’ Web Warrant Inquiry and Cancellation System (FPP E.052) to cancel USAS warrants on hold using Cancel Reason 304, in addition to other warrant cancellations.

You no longer need to submit a cancellation voucher to Payment Services for USAS warrants on hold. For more information, see Cancelling a Held Warrant in Hold Procedures (FPP E.020).

Note: Warrant cancellations processed in the new system are canceled in real time. Once a cancellation request is approved and saved, it cannot be reversed.