[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5513-S5514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PURCHASE CARD WASTE ELIMINATION ACT OF 2006

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 438, S. 457.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 457) to require the director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget to issue guidance for, and provide 
     oversight of, the management of micropurchases made with 
     Governmentwide commercial purchase cards, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with amendments, as follows:
  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italic.)

                                 S. 457

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Purchase Card Waste 
     Elimination Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR GUIDANCE.

       (a) Office of Management and Budget Policy Guidance.--Not 
     later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
     shall issue guidelines to assist the heads of executive 
     agencies in improving the management of the use of the 
     Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making 
     micropurchases. The Director shall include guidelines on the 
     following matters:
       (1) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify 
     opportunities for achieving savings through micropurchases 
     made in economical volumes.
       (2) Negotiation of discount agreements with major vendors 
     accepting the purchase card.
       (3) Establishment of communication programs to ensure that 
     purchase card holders receive information pertaining to the 
     availability of discounts, including programs for the 
     training of purchase card holders on the availability of 
     discounts.
       (4) Assessment of cardholder purchasing practices, 
     including use of discount agreements.
       (5) Collection and dissemination of best practices and 
     successful strategies for achieving savings in 
     micropurchases.
       (b) General Services Administration.--The Administrator of 
     General Services shall [direct the purchase card program 
     manager of the General Services Administration]--
       (1) [to continue] continue efforts to improve reporting by 
     financial institutions that issue the Governmentwide 
     commercial purchase card so that the General Services 
     Administration has the data needed to identify opportunities 
     for achieving savings; and
       (2) [to ensure that the acquisition center contracting 
     officers of the General Services Administration] actively 
     pursue point-of-sale discounts with major vendors accepting 
     the purchase card so that any Federal Government purchaser 
     using the purchase card can benefit from such point-of-sale 
     discounts.
       (c) Agency Reporting Requirement.--[The purchase card 
     program manager] The senior procurement executive for each 
     executive agency shall, as directed by the Director of the 
     Office of Management and Budget, submit to the Director 
     periodic reports on the actions taken in such executive 
     agency pursuant to the guidelines issued under subsection 
     (a).
       (d) Congressional Oversight.--Not later than December 31 of 
     the year following the year in which this Act is enacted, and 
     December 31 of each of the ensuing three years, the Director 
     of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform of the 
     House of Representatives a report summarizing the progress 
     made during the fiscal year ending in the year in which such 
     report is due--
       (1) in improving the management of the use of the 
     Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making 
     micropurchases; and
       (2) in achieving savings in micropurchases made with such 
     card, expressed in terms of [savings achieved by each 
     executive agency] average savings achieved by each executive 
     agency in the use of discount agreements identified in 
     subsection (a) and the total savings achieved Governmentwide.
       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement 
     Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403).
       (2) The term ``micropurchase'' means a purchase in an 
     amount not in excess of the micropurchase threshold, as 
     defined in section 32 of such Act (41 U.S.C. 428).

     SEC. 3. PAYMENTS TO FEDERAL CONTRACTORS WITH FEDERAL TAX 
                   DEBT.

       The General Services Administration, in conjunction with 
     the Internal Revenue Service and the Financial Management 
     Service, shall develop procedures to subject purchase card 
     payments to Federal contractors to the Federal Payment Levy 
     program.

     SEC. 4. REPORTING OF AIR TRAVEL BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
                   EMPLOYEES.

       (a) Annual Reports Required.--The Administrator of the 
     General Services shall submit annually to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security

[[Page S5514]]

     and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Government Reform of the House of Representatives a report on 
     all first class and business class travel by employees of 
     each executive agency undertaken at the expense of the 
     Federal Government.
       (b) Content.--The reports submitted pursuant to subsection 
     (a) shall include, at a minimum, with respect to each travel 
     by first class or business class--
       (1) the names of each traveler;
       (2) the date of travel;
       (3) the points of origination and destination;
       (4) the cost of the first class or business class travel; 
     and
       (5) the cost difference between such travel and travel by 
     coach class.
       (c) Executive Agency Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``executive agency'' has the meaning given such term in 
     section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 
     U.S.C. 403).

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
amendments be agreed to, the amendment at the desk be agreed to, the 
bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4191) was agreed to, as follows:

   (Purpose: To require the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget to issue guidelines identifying opportunities for achieving and 
 accurately measuring fair participation of small business concerns in 
                            micro-purchases)

       On page 3, between lines 3 and 4, insert the following:
       (6) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify 
     opportunities for achieving and accurately measuring fair 
     participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases 
     consistent with the national policy on small business 
     participation in Federal procurements set forth in sections 
     2(a) and 15(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631(a) 
     and 644(g)), and dissemination of best practices for 
     participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases.

  The bill (S. 457), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, read the third time and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 457

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Purchase Card Waste 
     Elimination Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR GUIDANCE.

       (a) Office of Management and Budget Policy Guidance.--Not 
     later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
     shall issue guidelines to assist the heads of executive 
     agencies in improving the management of the use of the 
     Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making 
     micropurchases. The Director shall include guidelines on the 
     following matters:
       (1) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify 
     opportunities for achieving savings through micropurchases 
     made in economical volumes.
       (2) Negotiation of discount agreements with major vendors 
     accepting the purchase card.
       (3) Establishment of communication programs to ensure that 
     purchase card holders receive information pertaining to the 
     availability of discounts, including programs for the 
     training of purchase card holders on the availability of 
     discounts.
       (4) Assessment of cardholder purchasing practices, 
     including use of discount agreements.
       (5) Collection and dissemination of best practices and 
     successful strategies for achieving savings in 
     micropurchases.
       (6) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify 
     opportunities for achieving and accurately measuring fair 
     participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases 
     consistent with the national policy on small business 
     participation in Federal procurements set forth in sections 
     2(a) and 15(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631(a) 
     and 644(g)), and dissemination of best practices for 
     participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases.
       (b) General Services Administration.--The Administrator of 
     General Services shall--
       (1) continue efforts to improve reporting by financial 
     institutions that issue the Governmentwide commercial 
     purchase card so that the General Services Administration has 
     the data needed to identify opportunities for achieving 
     savings; and
       (2) actively pursue point-of-sale discounts with major 
     vendors accepting the purchase card so that any Federal 
     Government purchaser using the purchase card can benefit from 
     such point-of-sale discounts.
       (c) Agency Reporting Requirement.--The senior procurement 
     executive for each executive agency shall, as directed by the 
     Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submit to 
     the Director periodic reports on the actions taken in such 
     executive agency pursuant to the guidelines issued under 
     subsection (a).
       (d) Congressional Oversight.--Not later than December 31 of 
     the year following the year in which this Act is enacted, and 
     December 31 of each of the ensuing three years, the Director 
     of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform of the 
     House of Representatives a report summarizing the progress 
     made during the fiscal year ending in the year in which such 
     report is due--
       (1) in improving the management of the use of the 
     Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making 
     micropurchases; and
       (2) in achieving savings in micropurchases made with such 
     card, expressed in terms of average savings achieved by each 
     executive agency in the use of discount agreements identified 
     in subsection (a) and the total savings achieved 
     Governmentwide.
       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement 
     Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403).
       (2) The term ``micropurchase'' means a purchase in an 
     amount not in excess of the micropurchase threshold, as 
     defined in section 32 of such Act (41 U.S.C. 428).

     SEC. 3. PAYMENTS TO FEDERAL CONTRACTORS WITH FEDERAL TAX 
                   DEBT.

       The General Services Administration, in conjunction with 
     the Internal Revenue Service and the Financial Management 
     Service, shall develop procedures to subject purchase card 
     payments to Federal contractors to the Federal Payment Levy 
     program.

     SEC. 4. REPORTING OF AIR TRAVEL BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
                   EMPLOYEES.

       (a) Annual Reports Required.--The Administrator of the 
     General Services shall submit annually to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives a report on all first class and business 
     class travel by employees of each executive agency undertaken 
     at the expense of the Federal Government.
       (b) Content.--The reports submitted pursuant to subsection 
     (a) shall include, at a minimum, with respect to each travel 
     by first class or business class--
       (1) the names of each traveler;
       (2) the date of travel;
       (3) the points of origination and destination;
       (4) the cost of the first class or business class travel; 
     and
       (5) the cost difference between such travel and travel by 
     coach class.
       (c) Executive Agency Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``executive agency'' has the meaning given such term in 
     section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 
     U.S.C. 403).

     

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