“What’s New” on FMX

Security coordinators are required to certify that their records are up to date through a semiannual security verification process that is concurrent for all Fiscal Management applications.

Review the instructions for the Semiannual Verification of Users’ Security Access Levels (FPP K.009) (login required). If you have questions, email sfs.security@cpa.texas.gov.

Reviews must be completed in accordance with FPP K.009 and the Texas Administrative Code. Please complete and return the Attestation form (73-326) to the Comptroller’s office by Oct. 31. Delinquent submissions will be escalated through your agency’s and CPA’s Fiscal Management chain of command.

The Training Center system will be unavailable beginning at 5 p.m. on Oct. 4 due to site upgrades and will have a new URL effective Oct. 5.

On Oct. 5, go to the Fiscal Management Training page at https://fmx.cpa.texas.gov/fmx/training/index.php and click on the Go To Training Center link to go to the new URL, which you can then bookmark if needed.

If you have trouble accessing the system and/or your account on or after Oct. 5, please contact FMTraining@cpa.texas.gov or 512-475-5700 for assistance.

The annual State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31. During the SECC, state employees may elect to deduct contributions to participating charities from their paychecks. Those contributions are sent to the statewide federations or local campaign areas.

Payroll/personnel systems must be updated for December 2017 payrolls. Each year, some information for participating local campaign areas and statewide federations is subject to change, including: mailing addresses and contact information, payee codes and Texas Identification Numbers.

See State Employee Charitable Campaign Participation (FPP F.033) or the SECC website to access the list of participating statewide federations, local campaign areas and other helpful information.

Each state agency (and institution of higher education choosing to report to SPA) is required to annually reconcile SPA ending balances with its annual financial report (AFR) and submit a certification form and other documents. The due dates are as follows:

• Simplified reporting agencies electing to submit early — Sept. 28
• Simplified reporting agencies not electing to submit early — Oct. 20
• Full reporting agencies — Oct. 20
• Consolidated university systems — Nov. 1 (Applies only to institutions of higher education choosing to report to SPA)

See SPA Fiscal Year-End Reconciliation and Certification of Fiscal Balances in Chapter 2 of the SPA Process User’s Guide for more information.

State agencies and institutions of higher education must report annual binding encumbrances and payables to the Comptroller’s office per Encumbrance Report and Lapsing of Appropriations (APS 018) (FPP A.019). Because the annual reporting requirement encompasses the fourth quarter of the previous appropriation year, there is no requirement for separate fourth-quarter reporting.

Agencies must enter encumbrances and payables into USAS for AY 2017 and prior years’ appropriations by the due date for their agency type for annual financial reporting:

• Sept. 30 for simplified reporting agencies
• Oct. 30 for full reporting agencies

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

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

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).

The Fiscal 2017 Fourth Quarter Post-Payment Audit Reports are available for view, print and download now. For more audit resources including Fiscal Policies and Procedures, forms and contact information, see the Audit topic page on FMX.

To receive email notifications on each audit report posted, subscribe via GovDelivery.

Senate Bill 73, 85th Legislature, Regular Session, amended the emergency leave provisions by providing state agencies and institutions of higher education with guidance on the awarding of emergency leave. Administrative heads now have to report annually by Oct. 1 specific information for employees granted more than 32 hours of emergency leave during the prior fiscal year. For more on the new reporting requirements, see Emergency Leave Reporting Requirements (FPP F.040)

All Senate Bill 1831 submissions are due to the Comptroller no later than Sept. 30.

SB 1831 (85th Legislature, Regular Session) requires every agency, board, commission and institution of higher education in Texas to submit information to the Comptroller’s office regarding each program that is statutorily required, but for which no appropriation was made.

Instructions and a submission template were sent to each agency contact in August. Every agency and institution of higher education must respond to this request, even if they have no programs to report.

For questions or more information, please contact Kevin McPherson.

How well are we meeting your customer service expectations?

Please let us know by completing the online survey by Friday, Oct. 13. We appreciate your feedback.

If you have any questions about the survey, please email us at fiscal.documentation@cpa.texas.gov.

The HRIS Employees Without Reappointments Report for institutions of higher education will be available to download on Friday, Sept. 22.

For each employee listed on the report, one of the following must be added in HRIS:

• Reappointment for fiscal 2018 (effective Sept. 1, 2017)

  –OR–

• Termination

All employee information listed on the report must be corrected by close of business Friday, Sept. 29. It is important to reconcile the report information with your institution’s records to ensure the information in HRIS is accurate. HRIS uses this information to generate the Equal Employment Opportunity Report, Annual Report (Statewide Hiring Practices for the Fiscal Year) and Veteran Workforce Summary Report.

Fiscal Management will rerun the report weekly until all necessary corrections are made.

For more information on the reappointment process, see HRIS Higher Education Reporting Procedures for Reappointments (FPP M.003) or contact your HRIS representative.

Note: Only institutions that have employees with reappointments will receive a report.

Senate Bill 73, 85th Legislature, Regular Session, amended the emergency leave provisions by providing state agencies and institutions of higher education with guidance on the awarding of emergency leave. Administrative heads now have to report annually by Oct. 1 specific information for employees granted more than 32 hours of emergency leave during the prior fiscal year.

For more on the new reporting requirements, see Emergency Leave Reporting Requirements (FPP F.040).

Institutions of higher education hold appropriated funds outside the State Treasury and must enter fiscal 2017 expenditure activity into USAS by Oct. 13 for reconciliation with the Legislative Budget Board’s Automated Budget and Evaluation System of Texas (ABEST).

For complete information, see Entering Higher Education Expenditure Activity into USAS for USAS/ABEST Reconciliation (FPP B.011).

Note: Community/junior colleges are excluded from these requirements.

Several Accounting Policy Statements (APSs) have been updated through acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session. The APSs include changes to terminology, policies, procedures and transaction coding blocks.

Each APS should be carefully reviewed to ensure compliance with the most current policies and procedures.

Effective Oct. 1, Citibank N.A . will have a new vendor number used by agencies to process third-party transactions in USAS for payment / travel cards, direct bill payments and reimbursements. After the effective date, the previous number, and all mail codes, will no longer be active and cannot be used to process payments.

For more information, see Processing Third-Party Transactions in USAS for Payment, Travel Cards, Direct Bill Payments and Reimbursements (FPP A.043).

The online Veteran Workforce Summary Report acknowledgment form (with required complaint reporting included) must be submitted by Sept. 25.

For more information, see Veteran Workforce Summary Reports and Veteran Complaint Reporting (FPP F.038).

The video recordings of both sessions of the 2017 AFR Update Webinar from July 6 are now available on the AFR Training page. Users can view individual recordings broken out by topic.

All proceeds from the sale of surplus property, equipment and commodities must be deposited to general revenue (GR) in appropriation 99908.

An agency may reappropriate 25 percent of the receipts from the sale of surplus property for expenditure during the fiscal year in which the receipts are received.

The Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) deposits 100 percent of the proceeds from sales made by TFC on behalf of an agency into GR.

For more information, see Proceeds from the Sale of Surplus Property (FPP A.032).

Fiscal 2018 travel reimbursement rates are available now for:

• In-state or out-of-state meals and lodging
• In-state or out-of-state non-overnight meals
• Automobile mileage
• Aircraft mileage

The 2018 General Services Administration (GSA) rates are effective Oct. 1 and are now available online. For Sept. 1 – 30, the standard lodging rate for all locations not listed on the GSA will be $91. Effective Oct.1, the standard lodging rate increases to $93. The maximum daily meal reimbursement rate for in-state and out-of-state locations not listed on the GSA remains $51.

For more information, see Textravel or email Expenditure Assistance.

State agencies and institutions of higher education must report certain salary supplements to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the State Auditor’s Office and the Secretary of State no later than Sept. 15.

For complete information including instructions and the online report form, see Salary Supplements Paid From Sources Other Than Appropriated Funds (FPP F.031).

Per Texas Government Code, Section 403.273, the property manager of each state agency must conduct an annual physical inventory of the trust, capitalized and controlled personal property (excluding libraries and historical arts and treasures) in the agency’s possession. The inventory must be completed by Aug. 31.

State agencies must then submit the Certification of Physical Inventory Conducted by Agency (73-283) form for fiscal 2017 with the signature of the agency head or designee to the Comptroller’s office by Sept. 20. For more information, see Certification of Physical Inventory in Chapter 2 of the SPA Process User’s Guide.

Each state agency (and institution of higher education choosing to report to SPA) is required to annually reconcile SPA ending balances with its annual financial report (AFR) and submit a certification form and other documents. The due dates are as follows:

• Simplified reporting agencies electing to submit early – Sept. 28
• Simplified reporting agencies not electing to submit early – Oct. 20
• Full reporting agencies – Oct. 20
• Consolidated university systems – Nov. 1 (Applies only to institutions of higher education choosing to report to SPA)

See SPA Fiscal Year-End Reconciliation and Certification of Fiscal Balances in Chapter 2 of the SPA Process User’s Guidefor more information.

All SB 1831 submissions are due to the Comptroller no later than Sept. 30.

SB 1831 (85th Leg., Reg. Sess.) requires every agency, board, commission and institution of higher education in Texas to submit information to the Comptroller’s office regarding each program that is statutorily required, but for which no appropriation was made.

Instructions and a submission template were sent to each agency contact in August. Every agency and institution of higher education must respond to this request, even if they have no programs to report.

For questions or more information, please contact Kevin McPherson.