[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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