[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1347 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 582
113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1347

                          [Report No. 113-268]

To provide transparency, accountability, and limitations of Government 
                         sponsored conferences.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 23, 2013

  Mr. Coburn (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Chiesa, Mr. Enzi, and Ms. 
    Ayotte) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

                            October 1, 2014

 Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of September 18, 
                 2014, by Mr. Carper, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide transparency, accountability, and limitations of Government 
                         sponsored conferences.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Conference Accountability 
Act of 2013''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. GOVERNMENT SPONSORED CONFERENCES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Travel Expenses of Federal Agencies Relating to 
Conferences.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Limitations and reports on travel expenses to 
        conferences.--Chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, is 
        amended by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>``Sec. 5712. Limitations and reports on travel expenses to 
              conferences</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(a) In this section, the term--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) `conference' means a meeting that--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) is held for consultation, education, 
                or discussion;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) is not held entirely at an agency 
                facility;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) involves costs associated with 
                travel and lodging for some participants; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) is sponsored by 1 or more agencies, 
                1 or more organizations that are not agencies, or a 
                combination of such agencies or organizations; 
                and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) `international conference' means a 
        conference attended by representatives of--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) the United States Government; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) any foreign government, 
                international organization, or foreign nongovernmental 
                organization.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) No agency may pay the travel expenses for more than 
50 employees of that agency who are stationed in the United States, for 
any international conference occurring outside the United States, 
unless the Secretary of State submits to Congress before the conference 
a written certification that attendance for such employees is in the 
national interest.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Not later than 30 days after the end of each quarter 
of each fiscal year, each agency shall post on the public Internet 
website of that agency a report on each conference for which the agency 
paid travel expenses during the preceding 3 months that includes--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) the itemized expenses paid by the agency, 
        including travel expenses, the cost of scouting for and 
        selecting the location of the conference, and any agency 
        expenditures to otherwise support the conference;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) the primary sponsor of the 
        conference;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) the location of the conference;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) in the case of a conference for which that 
        agency was the primary sponsor, a statement that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) justifies the location 
                selected;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) demonstrates the cost efficiency of 
                the location; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) provides a cost benefit analysis of 
                holding a conference rather than conducting a 
                teleconference;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) the date of the conference;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(6) an explanation how the conference advanced 
        the mission of the agency;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(7) the title and pay grade of any Federal 
        employee or any individual who is not a Federal employee whose 
        travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the 
        agency; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(8) the total number of individuals whose travel 
        expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the 
        agency.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d) Each report posted on the public Internet website 
under subsection (c) shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) be in a searchable electronic format; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) remain on that website for at least 5 years 
        after the date of posting.''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table 
        of sections for chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, is 
        amended by inserting after the item relating to section 5711 
        the following:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``5712. Limitations and reports on travel expenses to 
                            conferences.''.
<DELETED>    (b) Limitations on Annual Travel Expenses.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--In the case of each of fiscal 
        years 2014 through 2018, an agency (as defined under section 
        5701(1) of title 5, United States Code) may not make, or 
        obligate to make, expenditures for travel expenses, in an 
        aggregate amount greater than 80 percent of the aggregate 
        amount of such expenses for fiscal year 2010.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Identification of travel expenses.--Not later 
        than September 1, 2013, and after consultation with the 
        Administrator of General Services and the Director of the 
        Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Director 
        of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish 
        guidelines for the determination of what expenses constitute 
        travel expenses for purposes of this subsection. The guidelines 
        shall identify specific expenses, and classes of expenses, that 
        are to be treated as travel expenses.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Conference Transparency and Limitations.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Definitions.--In this subsection--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the term ``agency'' has the meaning 
                given under section 5701(1) of title 5, United States 
                Code; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the term ``conference'' has the 
                meaning given under section 5712(a)(1) of title 5, 
                United States Code (as added by subsection 
                (a)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Public availability of conference materials.--
        Each agency shall post on the public Internet website of that 
        agency detailed information on any presentation made by any 
        employee of that agency at a conference, including--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) any minutes relating to the 
                presentation;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) any speech delivered;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) any visual exhibit, including 
                photographs or slides;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) any video, digital, or audio 
                recordings of the conference; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) information regarding any financial 
                support or other assistance from a foundation or other 
                non-Federal source used to pay or defray the costs of 
                the conference, which shall include a certification by 
                the head of the agency that there is no conflict of 
                interest resulting from the support received from each 
                such source.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Limitation on amount expended on a 
        conference.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--No agency may expend more 
                than $500,000 to support a single conference.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph shall be construed to preclude an agency from 
                receiving financial support or other assistance from a 
                foundation or other non-Federal source to pay or defray 
                the costs of a conference the total cost of which 
                exceeds $500,000.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Limitation on the annual number of conferences 
        an agency may support.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--An agency may expend 
                funds on not more than 1 conference that is sponsored 
                or organized by a particular organization during any 
                fiscal year, unless the agency is the primary sponsor 
                and organizer of the conference.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph shall be construed to preclude an agency from 
                paying travel expenses for an employee of that agency 
                to attend a conference.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Limitation on conference policies.--An agency 
        may not establish or implement a policy that discourages or 
        prohibits the selection of a location for travel, an event, a 
        meeting, or a conference because the location is perceived to 
        be a resort or vacation destination.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Conference Accountability Act of 
2014''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``agency'' has the meaning given that term 
        under section 5701(1) of title 5, United States Code; and
            (2) the term ``conference'' means a meeting, retreat, 
        seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel.

SEC. 3. GOVERNMENT SPONSORED CONFERENCES.

    (a) Expenses of Federal Agencies Relating to Conferences.--
            (1) Limitations and reports on conference expenses.--
        Subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, is 
        amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 5712. Limitations and reports on conference expenses
    ``(a) In this section, the term `conference' means a meeting, 
retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel.
    ``(b) No agency may pay the travel expenses for more than 50 
employees of that agency who are stationed in the United States, for 
any conference occurring outside the United States, unless the Deputy 
Secretary (or the equivalent) and the Chief Financial Officer of the 
agency submit to Congress before the conference a written certification 
that attendance for such employees is in the national interest.
    ``(c) Not later than 30 days after the end of each quarter of each 
fiscal year, each agency shall post on the public Internet website of 
the agency a report on each conference that was held during the 
preceding 3 months for which the agency expended more than $50,000 that 
includes--
            ``(1) the itemized expenses paid by the agency, including 
        travel expenses, the cost of scouting for and selecting the 
        location of the conference, and any agency expenditures to 
        otherwise support the conference;
            ``(2) the primary sponsor of the conference;
            ``(3) the location of the conference;
            ``(4) in the case of a conference for which the agency was 
        the primary sponsor, a statement that--
                    ``(A) justifies the location selected;
                    ``(B) demonstrates the cost efficiency of the 
                location; and
                    ``(C) provides a cost benefit analysis of holding a 
                conference rather than conducting a teleconference, 
                video conference, video training, or other means of 
                remote communication;
            ``(5) the dates of the conference;
            ``(6) an explanation of how the conference advanced the 
        mission of the agency;
            ``(7) the pay grade of any Federal employee or any 
        individual who is not a Federal employee whose travel expenses 
        or other conference expenses were paid by the agency;
            ``(8) the total number of individuals whose travel expenses 
        or other conference expenses were paid by the agency;
            ``(9) detailed information on any presentation made by a 
        Federal employee at the conference, including any speech, 
        visual exhibit, photograph, slide, or video, digital, or audio 
        recording; and
            ``(10) information regarding any financial support or other 
        assistance from a foundation or other non-Federal source used 
        to pay or defray the costs of the conference, which shall 
        include a certification that there is no conflict of interest 
        resulting from the support received from each such source.
    ``(d) Each report posted on the public Internet website under 
subsection (c)--
            ``(1) shall--
                    ``(A) be in a searchable electronic format; and
                    ``(B) remain on the website for not less than 5 
                years after the date of posting; and
            ``(2) shall not include--
                    ``(A) information regarding travel or conference 
                expenses involving military combat, the training or 
                deployment of members of the Armed Forces, or other 
                similar expenses, as determined by the Director of the 
                Office of Management and Budget in consultation with 
                the Administrator of General Services; or
                    ``(B) scientific or medical research presented by a 
                Federal employee at a conference that was previously 
                unpublished.
    ``(e) The head of an agency may exclude certain information, 
expenses, and materials from a report required under subsection (c) 
only if the head of the agency determines that the inclusion of such 
information would undermine national security, international diplomacy, 
health and safety inspections, law enforcement, or site visits required 
for oversight or investigatory purposes.''.
            (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table of 
        sections for chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, is 
        amended by inserting after the item relating to section 5711 
        the following:

``5712. Limitations and reports on conference expenses.''.
    (b) Conference Limitations.--
            (1) Limitation on amount expended on a conference.--
                    (A) In general.--No agency may expend more than 
                $500,000 to support a single conference, unless the 
                head of the agency and the Chief Financial Officer of 
                the agency submit to Congress before the conference a 
                written certification that the conference is in the 
                national interest, which shall include--
                            (i) an estimate of the total cost of the 
                        conference;
                            (ii) the dates of the conference;
                            (iii) an estimate of the number of full-
                        time equivalent employees attending the 
                        conference;
                            (iv) any costs associated with planning for 
                        the conference; and
                            (v) an explanation of how the conference 
                        advances the mission of the agency.
                    (B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph shall be construed to preclude an agency from 
                receiving financial support or other assistance from a 
                foundation or other non-Federal source to pay or defray 
                the costs of a conference.
            (2) Limitation on conference policies.--An agency may not 
        establish or implement a policy that discourages or prohibits 
        the selection of a location for travel, an event, a meeting, or 
        a conference because the location is perceived to be a resort 
        or vacation destination.
                                                       Calendar No. 582

113th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1347

                          [Report No. 113-268]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To provide transparency, accountability, and limitations of Government 
                         sponsored conferences.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            October 1, 2014

                       Reported with an amendment