[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10723-H10724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXECUTIVE BRANCH TRAVEL REPORTS
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4805) to require reports on travel of Executive
branch officers and employees to international conferences, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4805
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REPORTS ON TRAVEL OF EXECUTIVE BRANCH OFFICERS AND
EMPLOYEES.
(a) Reports to Department of State.--(1) Except as provided
in paragraph (2), each officer and employee of an Executive
Branch agency who travels abroad to attend an international
conference shall submit to the Director of the Office of
International Conferences of the Department of State a report
with respect to such travel under subsection (b) not later
than 30 days after the completion of such travel.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply in the case of travel by
the following:
(A) The President.
(B) The Vice President.
(C) Any officer or employee who is--
(i) carrying out an intelligence or intelligence-related
activity;
(ii) performing a protective function; or
(iii) engaged in a sensitive diplomatic mission.
(b) Report.--Each report under subsection (a) shall set
forth the following:
(1) The name and agency of the officer or employee
concerned.
(2) The duration and cost of the travel involved.
(3) The name of the official who authorized the travel.
(c) Biannual Reports to Congress.--(1) Not later than April
1, 1999, and every six months thereafter, the Director shall
submit to the Committees on Foreign Relations and
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committees on
International Relations and Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a report regarding the travel covered by the
reports submitted to the Director under subsection (a) during
the six-month period ending on the date of the report under
this paragraph.
(2) Each report under paragraph (1) shall set forth with
respect to the period covered by such report the following:
(A) The names and agencies of the officers and employees
who traveled abroad to attend an international conference
during such period.
(B) Each official who authorized the travel covered by
subparagraph (A) and the total number of officers and
employees whose travel was authorized by such official.
(C) The total cost of the travel covered by subparagraph
(A).
(d) Annual Reports to Congress.--Not later than six months
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the President shall submit to the committees
referred to in subsection (c) a report setting forth--
(1) the total expenditures by the Federal Government on all
official travel abroad by each Executive Branch agency during
the preceding fiscal year; and
(2) the total number of officials, officers, and employees
of each such agency who engaged in such travel during that
fiscal year.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``Executive Branch agency'' has the meaning
given the term ``Executive agency'' in section 105 of title
5, United States Code, except that the term also includes the
Executive Office of the President but does not include the
General Accounting Office.
(2) The term ``international conference'' means any meeting
held under the auspices of an international organization or
foreign government at which representatives of more than two
foreign governments are expected to be in attendance and to
which one or more Executive Branch agencies will send an
aggregate of 10 or more representatives.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in 1995 I traveled to Beijing, where I cochaired the
Congressional delegation, along with my good friend and colleague the
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) to the Fourth World Conference
on Women.
I had many reactions to the conference, but one of the most vivid
impressions was how difficult it was to get straight answers to some of
the most basic questions, such as who was running the conference and
who was paying for it. One of the very hardest things to find out was
the exact cost to the American taxpayer.
At the time of the Beijing conference itself, we knew only that the
State Department's total annual budget for international conferences
that year was $6 million, and most of the amount was budgeted for
smaller and less extravagant international meetings. So our
participation in Beijing should have cost perhaps $1 million, certainly
no more.
Yet the facts on the ground were very different. It took five months
and a GAO report to Congress to learn the true extent of U.S. costs on
the Beijing conference. It turned out to be $5.9 million, spread out
among the budgets of 13 different Federal agencies and the White House.
The State Department's reported expenditures were just under $1
million, but they comprised only about one-sixth of the total cost to
the U.S. taxpayer.
Mr. Speaker, the bill we are considering today would ensure that
Congress and the taxpayers have complete and accurate information on
what it costs to send Federal officials and employees overseas to
international conferences, no matter what the subject is. The bill is
similar to an amendment introduced by Senator John Ashcroft which was
ultimately included in H.R. 1757, the Foreign Affairs Reform and
Restructuring Act.
The bill takes a moderate balanced approach to the problem. It
imposes no unreasonable reporting requirements on the administration.
In fact, the bill reflects many of the administration's own suggestions
for improving the provision during the conference on H.R. 1757. For
instance, the bill requires no reports on travel to international
conferences by the President, the Vice President or Federal officials
or employees carrying out intelligence-related activities or performing
protective junctions or engaged in sensitive diplomatic missions.
Other Federal officials and employees attending international
conferences, and they comprise the vast majority, would be required to
report their expenses, the duration of the travel and the name of the
authorizing official. The reports will be submitted to the State
Department's Office of International Conferences, and the department
will file a report to the Congress every six months. So this
legislation would help the State Department, as well as Congress and
the American people, get a handle on who the various Federal agencies
are sending to international conferences.
Mr. Speaker, U.S. participation in international conferences in many
cases is useful and necessary, but it should not take a GAO report to
Congress to find out who we are sending and how much it costs.
I think Senator Ashcroft should be thanked for this very important
initiative, and I also want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman), the chairman of the full Committee on International Relations,
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), the ranking member of the
full committee, Senator Helms, Senator Gramm and Senator Biden and
others for their contributions and their staffs as this was
[[Page H10724]]
being shaped during the conference on H.R. 1757.
This a good resolution. Hopefully it will have the full support of
the body.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill. I want to commend the
gentleman from New Jersey for bringing the bill forward. I think it is
a worthy initiative.
Every year Executive Branch officials and employees attend
international conferences all over the world. Attendance at these
conferences is important to the interests of the United States. At this
time we have no comprehensive system in place for keeping track of who
goes where, for how long, what they learned and how much they spent.
{time} 1315
This bill sets out a travel reporting system that would require three
sets of reports. First, an individual or official attending an
international conference would file a report with the State Department.
Second, the State Department files a biennial report with the Congress.
Finally, the President submits an annual report to Congress on travel
by executive branch officials.
All of us, I think, agree that transparency is laudable. Nonetheless,
we should recognize that the bill imposes a considerable administrative
cost and burden. I would have favored getting a cost estimate on the
bill. Despite this reservation, I think this is a good bill. I urge my
colleagues to join me in support of it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the distinguished
chairman of the Committee on International Relations.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to
me.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 4085. I want to
commend the sponsor of this measure, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Smith), the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on International
Operations and Human Rights. This worthy bill is designed to obtain
important data on the widespread attendance of executive branch
employees at numerous international conferences.
Excessive attendance at overseas conferences is well-known, and it is
also costly. This measure requires the administering office at the
State Department to be formally notified by any agency expecting to
send an employee to an international conference. It also will provide
the agencies, and particularly our State Department, with information
to better manage excessive attendance at such conferences, and to be
able to receive extensive information on what occurred at the
conference.
A one-time report to Congress will also assure that we have an
accounting of this kind of travel. Accordingly, I urge support for this
measure.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and
extend their remarks on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4805.
The question was taken.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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