[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 882 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 882

   To require that any local currencies used to provide per diems to 
  Members and employees of Congress for official foreign travel for a 
     fiscal year be obtained by Congress and paid for using funds 
appropriated for salaries and expenses of Congress for the fiscal year, 
to enhance the disclosure of information on official foreign travel of 
 Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 2, 2011

   Mr. Johnson of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require that any local currencies used to provide per diems to 
  Members and employees of Congress for official foreign travel for a 
     fiscal year be obtained by Congress and paid for using funds 
appropriated for salaries and expenses of Congress for the fiscal year, 
to enhance the disclosure of information on official foreign travel of 
 Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Congressional 
Foreign Travel Reform Act of 2011''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The 56-year-old Mutual Security Act governs the current 
        procedures and reporting requirements associated with the 
        expending of foreign currencies for foreign travel by members 
        of Congress and their staffs.
            (2) A recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) 
        memorandum finds that ``there are no requirements regarding the 
        disclosure of international travel by Members of Congress or 
        their staffs that contain records of all international travel 
        that might be taken.''.
            (3) This memorandum also finds that--
                    (A) the current travel disclosure requirements 
                ``may be of limited utility'' when trying to assess the 
                amount Congress spends on foreign travel;
                    (B) some foreign travel disclosures ``. . . 
                identify annual expenditures for an entity, rather than 
                quarterly,'' as is required by the law;
                    (C) some disclosures contain ``. . . typographical 
                and mathematics errors'';
                    (D) the current disclosure requirements for 
                Congressional foreign travel ``. . . might raise 
                questions about the accuracy of reported destinations, 
                participants or expenditures''; and
                    (E) the current reporting requirements for 
                Congressional foreign travel ``. . . may reduce the 
                suitability and reliability'' of the following data: 
                ``number of trips taken, number of congressional 
                travelers, destinations and the number of times a 
                destination was visited, purposes of travel, benefits 
                of travel and the extent of expenditures for 
                congressional travel.''.
            (4) In April 2010 Roll Call reported that these travel ``. 
        . . accommodations are made by the State Department and billed 
        back to a government account that automatically refills itself 
        and has no spending limit attached.''.
            (5) In March 2010 the Wall Street Journal reported that 
        while congressional rules require any unused per diem received 
        for congressional travel must be paid back, this rule is rarely 
        followed.
            (6) The ``Questions and Answers'' section of the Official 
        Foreign Travel Guide for the U.S. Congress advises Members of 
        Congress that they ``. . . may keep any `excess' funds'' from a 
        per diem allowance.
            (7) The CRS memorandum finds that from the only public 
        available records on Congressional foreign travel, the House of 
        Representatives went from spending $1,557,162 on foreign travel 
        in 1994 to $9,303,709 in 2009, and that the amount the House 
        has spent on travel has nearly doubled since 2006. Furthermore, 
        these amounts do not take into account the use of military 
        aircraft.
            (8) In June 2010 Roll Call reported that ``Members of 
        Congress routinely fail to report millions of dollars' worth of 
        costs . . . on foreign trips'', and that the ``total spent on 
        foreign travel has skyrocketed in the past decade.''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING CONGRESS TO OBTAIN AND PAY FOR LOCAL CURRENCIES USED 
              TO PROVIDE PER DIEMS TO MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES OF CONGRESS 
              ON OFFICIAL FOREIGN TRAVEL.

    (a) Obtaining and Paying for Local Currency Per Diems for Members 
and Employees on Official Foreign Travel.--
            (1) In general.--The House of Representatives and Senate 
        may obtain local currencies of foreign nations for the purpose 
        of providing a per diem allowance to a Member, officer, or 
        employee of the House of Representatives or Senate who is on 
        official foreign travel, if the individual obtains an 
        authorization under paragraph (2) to receive such an allowance.
            (2) Authorization described.--An individual wishing to 
        receive a per diem allowance under paragraph (1) shall obtain 
        an authorization--
                    (A) from the Speaker of the House of 
                Representatives, in the case of a Member, officer, or 
                employee of the House;
                    (B) from the chairman of a standing or select 
                committee of the House of Representatives, in the case 
                of a member or employee of that committee;
                    (C) from the President of the Senate, the President 
                pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the 
                Senate, or the minority leader of the Senate, in the 
                case of a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate;
                    (D) from the chairman of a standing, select, or 
                special committee of the Senate, in the case of a 
                member or employee of that committee or of an employee 
                of a member of that committee; and
                    (E) from the chairman of a joint committee of the 
                Congress, in the case of a member or employee of that 
                committee.
            (3) Limit on amount.--The amount of local currency provided 
        for the use of an individual under this subsection may not 
        exceed--
                    (A) the equivalent of $75 per day per person; or
                    (B) the maximum per diem allowance established 
                under the authority of subchapter I of chapter 57 of 
                title 5, United States Code, for employees of the 
                United States Government while traveling in a foreign 
                country,
        whichever is greater, exclusive of the actual cost of 
        transportation.
            (4) Repayment of unused amounts.--Any individual to whom 
        the House of Representatives or the Senate provides a per diem 
        under this subsection shall return to the House of 
        Representatives or the Senate (as the case may be) any per diem 
        provided to the Member or employee which remains unexpended as 
        of the conclusion of the travel. Any amount returned in 
        accordance with the previous sentence shall be transferred to 
        the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall use such amount for 
        the purposes of deficit reduction.
            (5) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
        to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for obtaining 
        local currencies under this subsection, of which--
                    (A) the amounts necessary for obtaining local 
                currencies for the use of any individual whose pay is 
                disbursed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the 
                House of Representatives shall be appropriated from the 
                applicable accounts of the House of Representatives; 
                and
                    (B) the amounts necessary for obtaining local 
                currencies for the use of any individual whose pay is 
                disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate shall be 
                appropriated from the contingent fund of the Senate.
            (6) Definitions.--In this subsection--
                    (A) any reference to a ``Member'' of the House of 
                Representatives includes a Delegate or Resident 
                Commissioner to the Congress; and
                    (B) the term ``official foreign travel'' means any 
                travel outside of the United States for which the costs 
                (including the costs of transportation, lodging, meals, 
                and related expenses) may be covered by appropriated 
                funds, including official funds of the House of 
                Representatives or Senate, under law or the Rules of 
                the House of Representatives or the Standing Rules of 
                the Senate.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Repeal existing authority.--Section 502(b) of the 
        Mutual Security Act of 1954 (22 U.S.C. 1754(b)) is amended by 
        striking paragraph (1).
            (2) Maintenance of existing reporting requirements.--
        Section 502(b)(3)(A) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 1754(b)(3)(A)) is 
        amended by striking ``an authorization under paragraph (1)'' 
        and inserting ``an authorization under section 2(b) of the 
        Congressional Foreign Travel Reform Act of 2011.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this 
section shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2012 and each 
succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED DISCLOSURE AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS RELATING TO MEMBER 
              TRAVEL UNDER RULES OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) Reporting Requirements for Official Foreign Travel by House 
Members and Employees.--
            (1) Statement required prior to undertaking travel.--A 
        Member or employee of the House of Representatives may not 
        undertake any official foreign travel unless, not later than 14 
        days prior to the date on which the travel begins, the Member 
        or employee prepares and makes available for public inspection 
        in accordance with subsection (b) a statement containing the 
        following information:
                    (A) A statement of worthiness regarding the purpose 
                of the travel, including a description of how the 
                travel relates to the Member's or employee's official 
                duties.
                    (B) A tentative itinerary for each day of the 
                travel, including a list of the locations the Member or 
                employee intends to visit and any individuals with whom 
                the Member or employee intends to meet.
                    (C) The names of any other individuals who are 
                accompanying the Member or employee during the travel, 
                without regard to whether such individuals are Members 
                or employees of the House.
                    (D) The amount of the per diem the Member or 
                employee requested to be provided for the travel, and 
                whether the amount is greater than the standard per 
                diem provided under chapter 57 of title 5, United 
                States Code.
                    (E) A description of the aircraft to be used for 
                transportation for the travel, and the Member's or 
                employee's best estimate of the costs of using such 
                aircraft.
            (2) Statement required after completion of travel.--Not 
        later than 14 days after completing any official foreign 
        travel, the Member or employee who undertook the travel shall 
        prepare and make available for public inspection in accordance 
        with subsection (b) a statement containing the following 
        information:
                    (A) A statement detailing the value, worthiness, 
                and educational benefit to the Member or employee of 
                the travel.
                    (B) The actual itinerary for the travel, including 
                a comprehensive statement of travel times, meetings, 
                and other activities carried out during the travel.
                    (C) The actual cost of the travel, itemized by the 
                costs of--
                            (i) transportation (including the 
                        identification of the providers of the 
                        transportation);
                            (ii) lodging (including the identification 
                        of the providers of the lodging); and
                            (iii) meals (including the identification 
                        of the providers of the meals).
                    (D) How much, if any, of the per diem provided for 
                the travel was unspent.
            (3) Exception for information affecting national 
        security.--A Member or employee may exclude from a statement 
        prepared under this subsection any information which is 
        classified or the disclosure of which would adversely affect 
        national security, so long as the Member includes documentation 
        in support of the exclusion in the statement prepared under 
        this subsection.
    (b) Publication Requirements for Reports.--Each statement required 
to be prepared under subsection (a) with respect to official foreign 
travel of a Member or employee of the House of Representatives shall be 
made available for public inspection as follows:
            (1) The statement shall be submitted for publication in the 
        Congressional Record.
            (2) The statement shall be posted on the official public 
        Web site of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
            (3) The statement shall be posted on the official public 
        Web site of the authorizing office.
            (4) In the case of a statement submitted with respect to 
        travel of a Member, the statement shall be posted on the 
        official public Web site of the Member.
            (5) In the case of a statement submitted with respect to 
        travel of an employee, the statement shall be posted on the 
        official public Web site of the employee's employing office.
    (c) Prohibiting Vacation Stopovers During Travel.--A Member or 
employee of the House of Representatives may not undertake a vacation 
stopover for annual leave at any point during official foreign travel.
    (d) Restrictions on Travel by Employees.--
            (1) Travel by employees of members.--An employee of the 
        House of Representatives whose employing office is the office 
        of a Member may not undertake any official foreign travel 
        unless--
                    (A) the authorizing office for the travel is the 
                office of the Member;
                    (B) the travel is undertaken by the employee to 
                accompany the Member on the Member's own official 
                foreign travel; and
                    (C) no other employee of the office accompanies the 
                Member on such travel.
            (2) Travel by employees of committees.--An employee of the 
        House of Representatives whose employing office is the office 
        of a committee of the House of Representatives may not 
        undertake any official foreign travel unless--
                    (A) the authorizing office for the travel is the 
                office of the committee;
                    (B) the travel is undertaken by the employee to 
                accompany a Member who serves on the committee on the 
                Member's own official foreign travel; and
                    (C) the number of employees accompanying the 
                Members of the committee on such travel does not exceed 
                the number of Members of the committee who are 
                participating in such travel.
            (3) Exception for certain travel.--This subsection does not 
        apply with respect to travel to a military installation or 
        travel to a theater of operations of the Armed Forces.
    (e) Requiring Efforts To Reduce Expenses; Return of Unspent Per 
Diem.--Each Member and employee of the House of Representatives who 
undertakes official foreign travel shall--
            (1) take such actions as may be necessary to reduce the 
        costs incurred for such travel; and
            (2) return any per diem provided to the Member or employee 
        which remains unexpended as of the conclusion of the travel.
    (f) Regulations.--This section shall be carried out in accordance 
with regulations promulgated by the Committee on House Administration 
of the House of Representatives.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions apply:
            (1) The term ``authorizing office'' means, with respect to 
        a Member or employee of the House of Representatives, the 
        office which is authorized under law or the Rules of the House 
        of Representatives to approve the use of appropriated funds, 
        including official funds of the House of Representatives, for 
        official travel outside of the United States by the Member or 
        employee.
            (2) The term ``Member of the House of Representatives'' 
        includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.
            (3) The term ``official foreign travel'' means any travel 
        outside of the United States for which the costs (including the 
        costs of transportation, lodging, meals, and related expenses) 
        may be covered by appropriated funds, including official funds 
        of the House of Representatives, under law or the Rules of the 
        House of Representatives.
    (h) Statement of Rulemaking Authority of House of 
Representatives.--This section is enacted by Congress as an exercise of 
the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives and shall be 
considered a part of the rules of the House of Representatives, with 
full recognition of the constitutional right of the House to change 
this section at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as 
in the case of any other rule of the House.
                                 <all>