[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 31, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5193-H5196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GOVERNMENT SPENDING ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2013
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 313) to amend title 5, United States Code, to institute
spending limits and transparency requirements for Federal conference
and travel expenditures, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 313
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 ``Government Spending
Accountability Act of 2013'' or the ``GSA Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. LIMITS AND TRANSPARENCY FOR CONFERENCE AND TRAVEL
SPENDING.
(a) Amendment.--Chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after section 5711 the following:
``Sec. 5712. Limits and transparency for conference and
travel spending
``(a) Conference Transparency and Spending Limits.--
``(1) Public availability of conference materials.--Each
agency shall post on the
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public website of that agency detailed information on any
presentation made by any employee of that agency at a
conference (except to the extent the head of an agency
excludes such information for reasons of national security or
information described under section 552(b)) including--
``(A) the prepared text of any verbal presentation made;
and
``(B) any visual, digital, video, or audio materials
presented, including photographs, slides, and audio-visual
recordings.
``(2) Limits on amount expended on a conference.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided under subparagraph
(B), an agency may not expend more than $500,000 to support a
single conference.
``(B) Exception.--The head of an agency may waive the
limitation under subparagraph (A) for a specific conference
after making a determination that the expenditure is
justified as the most cost-effective option to achieve a
compelling purpose. The head of an agency shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on any waiver
granted under this subparagraph, including the justification
for such waiver.
``(C) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this paragraph
shall be construed to preclude an agency from receiving
financial support or other assistance from a private entity
to pay or defray the costs of a conference the total cost of
which exceeds $500,000.
``(b) International Conference Rule.--An agency may not pay
the travel expenses for more than 50 employees of that agency
who are stationed in the United States, for any international
conference, unless the Secretary of State determines that
attendance for such employees is in the national interest, or
the head of the agency determines that attendance for such
employees is critical to the agency's mission. The Secretary
of State and the head of an agency shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on any waiver
granted under this subsection, including the justification
for such waiver.
``(c) Reporting on Travel and Conference Expenses
Required.--At the beginning of each quarter of each fiscal
year, each agency shall post on the public website of that
agency a report on each conference that costs more than
$10,000 for which the agency paid travel expenses during the
preceding 3 months that includes--
``(1) the itemized expenses paid by the agency, including
travel, lodging, and meal expenses, and any other agency
expenditures to otherwise support the conference;
``(2) the primary sponsor of the conference;
``(3) the location of the conference;
``(4) the date of the conference;
``(5) a brief explanation of how the participation of
employees from such agency at the conference advanced the
mission of the agency;
``(6) the title of any employee, or any individual who is
not a Federal employee, whose travel expenses or other
conference expenses were paid by the agency;
``(7) the total number of individuals whose travel expenses
or other conference expenses were paid by the agency; and
``(8) in the case of a conference for which that agency was
the primary sponsor, a statement that--
``(A) describes the cost to the agency of selecting the
specific conference venue;
``(B) describes why the location was selected, including a
justification for such selection;
``(C) demonstrates the cost efficiency of the location;
``(D) provides a cost benefit analysis of holding a
conference rather than conducting a teleconference; and
``(E) describes any financial support or other assistance
from a private entity used to pay or defray the costs of the
conference, and for each case where such support or
assistance was used, the head of the agency shall include a
certification that there is no conflict of interest resulting
from such support or assistance.
``(d) Format and Publication of Reports.--Each report
posted on the public website under subsection (c) shall--
``(1) be in a searchable electronic format; and
``(2) remain on that website for at least 5 years after the
date of posting.
``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Agency.--The term `agency' has the meaning given that
term under section 5701, but does not include the government
of the District of Columbia.
``(2) Conference.--The term `conference' means a meeting,
retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that--
``(A) is held for consultation, education, discussion, or
training; and
``(B) is not held entirely at a Government facility.
``(3) International conference.--The term `international
conference' means a conference occurring outside the United
States attended by representatives of--
``(A) the Government of the United States; and
``(B) any foreign government, international organization,
or foreign nongovernmental organization.''.
(b) 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. Limits and transparency for conference and travel spending.''.
(c) Annual Travel Expense Limits.--
(1) In general.--In the case of each of fiscal years 2014
through 2018, an agency (as defined under section 5712(e) of
title 5, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)) may
not make, or obligate to make, expenditures for travel
expenses, in an aggregate amount greater than 70 percent of
the aggregate amount of such expenses for fiscal year 2010.
(2) Exemptions.--The agency may exclude certain travel
expenses from the limitation under paragraph (1) only if the
agency head determines that inclusion of such expenses would
undermine national security, international diplomacy, health
and safety inspections, law enforcement, or site visits
required for oversight or investigatory purposes.
(3) Report to congress.--In each of fiscal years 2014
through 2018, the head of each agency shall submit to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report containing--
(A) the justification for any expenses excluded (under
paragraph (2)) from the limitation under paragraph (1); and
(B) the positive or negative impacts, if any, of the
limitation under paragraph (1) on the agency's mission, cost-
effectiveness, efficiency, and ability to perform core
functions.
(4) Identification of travel expenses.--
(A) Responsibilities.--Not later than September 30, 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.
(B) Exemption for military travel.--The guidelines required
under subparagraph (A) shall exclude military travel expenses
in determining what expenses constitute travel expenses.
Military travel expenses shall include travel expenses
involving military combat, the training or deployment of
uniformed military personnel, and such other travel expenses
as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget, in consultation with the Administrator of General
Services and the Director of the Administrative Office of the
United States Courts.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Cummings) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Last year, the public became aware of the now-infamous GSA Las Vegas
conference that cost taxpayers some $820,000.
In the wake of that public outcry, the Office of Management and
Budget issued a May 2012 memo outlining new policies and procedures for
Federal travel and conferences. In the memo, OMB told agency heads to
reduce travel spending for fiscal year 2013 to 70 percent of the fiscal
2010 levels. Senior-level review was instituted for all events, with
senior-level approval and public reporting for events costing some
$100,000 or more, and a general prohibition on events costing half a
million or more, unless the agency signed a waiver.
The Oversight Committee learned that in fiscal year 2012 alone,
nearly 900 Federal conferences costing in excess of $100,000 were held.
The total cost of these events exceeded $340 million.
H.R. 313 codifies OMB's travel and conference guidelines with some
important changes. While exempting military travel, the bill eliminates
loopholes in the OMB guidance in order to ensure that agencies actually
achieve a 70 percent reduction in nonmilitary-related travel.
The bill also mandates transparency by requiring agencies to post
online, on a quarterly basis, detailed, itemized reports of all
conference spending. And it requires that materials presented at the
conference by a Federal employee be made available online.
Last year, the House approved unanimously substantially similar
legislation that was also reported from the Oversight Committee. I
would like to thank Mr. Farenthold for his leadership on this bill, and
Mr. Pocan for
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working with us at the committee markup to help make important
improvements to this bill.
I urge all Members to support this good government and commonsense
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 313, as amended. I support the intent of
this legislation to reduce wasteful travel and conference spending and
to shine light on the Federal Government expenditures in those areas.
The recent instances of excessive spending at a 2010 Las Vegas
conference held by the General Services Administration and two 2011
Orlando conferences hosted by the Veterans Affairs Department gave good
cause for the introduction of this measure. I believe that safeguards
and heightened congressional and public scrutiny are needed to prevent
incidents like those from happening again.
This bill is similar to legislation that passed the House in the last
Congress and similar to administration guidance issued to agencies.
Legislation would require agencies to reduce travel spending by 30
percent below fiscal year 2010 levels in each of the next 5 fiscal
years and limit expenditures on any single conference to $500,000.
I also thank Chairman Issa for working with us to make some changes
to the bill to address some of our major concerns. We added language to
the bill to allow agency heads or the Secretary of State to waive the
50 percent limit on the number of employees who may attend
international conferences. This change was made to address concerns
raised by Representatives Rush Holt, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and others
in the scientific community about the potential negative effect of the
limit on the free and open exchange of scientific and technical
knowledge.
We also established $10,000 as the minimum threshold amount a
conference would have to cost before agencies would be required to
provide cost information in their quarterly reporting.
Lastly, we appreciate the addition of the language in the bill
exempting travel expenses from the required 30 percent reduction when
the reduction would undermine national security, international
diplomacy, health and safety inspections of law enforcement, or site
visits required for oversight investigations.
I believe that H.R. 313 has been greatly improved by the exchanges. I
offer my support for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to
my distinguished colleague from the State of Texas (Mr. Farenthold).
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the ranking member's
support of this bill.
This is not an anti-travel, anti-conference bill. This is a
commonsense transparency and good government bill. It was designed to
stop wasteful spending.
You hear a lot of talk here around Washington, D.C., about we've got
to stop the waste, fraud, and abuse. Well, we are doing that here today
with H.R. 313. What we are doing is saying if there is a government
conference, it needs to be for government purposes and real work needs
to be done.
We are not asking the taxpayers to foot the bill for a vacation for
Federal employees. We don't need clowns, we don't need mind readers, we
don't need a Star Trek video, we don't need pictures of agency
representatives in a bathtub with a glass of wine.
We need Federal employees conducting Federal business and doing what
the taxpayers are paying them to do. Many of these conferences are
great opportunities for training, great opportunities in the scientific
community to move forward with advancements. But what we've got to do
is make sure taxpayers' money is not wasted, that it is spent wisely.
We need a culture in this government where Federal employees, each and
every one of them, know it is not their money they're spending; it's
the hardworking American taxpayers' money that they are spending.
That's what we are doing here today. We are putting limits on the
amount that can be spent. In certain cases, you can go over these
limits, but we need to have someone held accountable for these
conferences. So when you get into the big-dollar amounts, an agency
head, somebody who is politically accountable, has to sign off for it,
somebody who actually is thinking all the time about what is the public
going to think about this.
This is a great solution we've crafted in a bipartisan manner that
doesn't end conferences, but promotes responsible conferences.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 313.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from
Nevada (Ms. Titus).
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for the time.
I would first respectfully correct the record because the GAO
conference was not in Las Vegas; it was in Henderson, Nevada, which is
in District 3.
Like my colleagues, I believe that government agencies should spend
every cent in the most careful and responsible way possible, and it is
our job as Members of Congress to ensure that all government spending
is effective and efficient.
While there are still improvements that can be made, and I agree with
many of the comments that have been issued on the floor already,
Congress and the administration have already taken many steps to
eliminate excessive travel, require transparency, and improve
oversight.
I rise today, however, because I believe that H.R. 313 sends the
wrong message about business travel. I am proud to represent Las Vegas,
one of the premier business destinations in the United States. Last
year, we hosted some 21,000 meetings and conventions attended by almost
5 million business travelers. These business meetings supported 60,000
jobs with an economic impact of $6.7 billion.
Business travel is an important aspect of the economy, with over $250
billion in direct spending by business travelers, which supports 2.2
million jobs nationwide. Even in this age of technology, where lots of
business is conducted via the Internet, small businesses across Nevada
tell me all the time that the opportunity to meet face-to-face to
discuss new programs, cultivate business at a trade show, or learn
about new products and designs is just irreplaceable.
I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to cultivate
this important aspect of our economy while also ensuring that our tax
dollars are well spent.
{time} 1345
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nevada (Mr. Heck).
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of reining in
excessive government spending and waste, and I thank my colleague from
Texas for his work on this important matter.
As the Representative who represents Henderson, Nevada, I am pleased
Congress and the administration worked together to reduce wasteful
government spending and to prevent flagrant abuses of taxpayer funds on
lavish conferences and travel. These efforts will certainly increase
oversight and transparency. However, I urge my colleagues to avoid
those unnecessary restrictions on government travel which could
significantly affect conference cities like Las Vegas and Henderson.
Despite the inexcusable actions of a few, government conferences can
benefit the public and private sectors and contribute to our economic
health. Cancelling conferences outright solves nothing. The
cancellation of a 2013 Military Health System Conference to train
military medical personnel actually cost the government more than
$800,000 in replacement expenses and lost revenue. I am concerned that
those approving government conferences under these new standards may
limit agency travel to specific geographic locations solely to avoid
the perception of the misuse of taxpayer funds.
These decisions should not be about perception but should be based on
cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and the best interests of taxpayers.
That's why I cosponsored H.R. 1880, the Protecting Resort Cities from
Discrimination Act, to prohibit Federal agencies from implementing
policies that discourage travel to perceived resort or vacation
destinations. Cities like Las Vegas, Henderson, and Orlando are
equipped with an abundance of affordable rooms and conference spaces,
and independent studies
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confirm that the per attendee cost of government conferences is nearly
half that of similar private sector conferences, but these cities
should not suffer from poor judgment by a handful of government
workers.
Again, I strongly support the efforts to eliminate the waste and
abuse of taxpayer funds. Federal travel and conference participation
benefits our economy when done appropriately and responsibly. So I
support this legislation, and I ask to continue to work together to
encourage accountability and transparency for government travel to
ensure conference cities like Las Vegas, Henderson, and others can
continue to provide their valuable services.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the legislation,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished
colleague from the State of Florida (Mr. Ross).
Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Government
Spending Accountability Act, which will rein in out-of-control
government spending by providing much-needed reforms and transparency
for Federal employee travel and government-sponsored conferences.
As someone who introduced similar legislation last year, I want to
thank Chairman Farenthold for his continued work on this important
issue.
Mr. Speaker, reports of lavish and out-of-control spending by various
Federal agencies, most notably by the General Services Administration,
have highlighted the need for serious reform for these types of
fiscally irresponsible practices. However, other agencies have been
responsible for carelessly wasting taxpayer funds as well.
One example of this waste took place an hour from my home in
Lakeland, Florida. In 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs held two
human resources training conferences in Orlando, Florida, at a cost of
$6.1 million to the taxpayers. Last year, an inspector general report
published within the Department of Veterans Affairs found that the
Department conference planners allowed up to $762,000 in unauthorized
or wasteful spending. This included gifts, spa treatments, tickets for
helicopter rides, and golf packages.
Mr. Speaker, the men and women in uniform are some of the best and
proudest that America has to offer. They take an oath to uphold not
only the Constitution of this United States but also to give the
ultimate sacrifice of their lives. Here, the veterans administration
agency, which is charged with making sure that their benefits are
adequately and appropriately provided, has been indicted with wasting
these taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, at a time when veterans are
waiting in line for benefits they fought and sacrificed to earn,
taxpayers should not be subsidizing lavish hotel bills and golf
outings.
Once again, I want to thank the chairman for introducing this
legislation, and I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in passing
this good government legislation.
Mr. MEADOWS. I want to thank the ranking member for his support of
this legislation, and I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R.
313, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member
for making small changes to this legislation to address concerns that I
raised about this bill last year. However, the premise of the bill
remains the same and for that reason, I oppose H.R. 313, the so-called
``Government Spending Accountability Act''. H.R. 313 is fundamentally
flawed because it would make significant changes to federal employees'
ability to travel to conferences and meetings.
This bill institutes prohibitions and impediments that would hinder
American scientists' ability to collaborate and communicate with
scientists at other institutions and laboratories.
Although I appreciate the sponsors' efforts to ensure oversight on
travel expenditures, I'm not sure they realize the impact that this
legislation would have on science and technology, which is the engine
of American innovation. The informal conversations, as well as the
formal presentations and everything else that goes on between
scientists from different institutions, from different countries, lead
to new collaborations that have the promise of new discoveries. These
are not fancy junkets.
Scientific conferences are critically important. For example, the
American Chemical Society and, the American Physical Society have
stated that the development of an anticancer drug was the result of
collaboration between a team of scientists from three laboratories that
took place at one of these conferences. This bill would hinder that
kind of collaboration. In a time when the federal government should be
making science a priority, passing a bill that would make scientists
jump through hurdles and get around impediments would, in fact, weaken
American scientists, weaken American science, and impede the ability of
American scientists to innovate.
That is not wise. This is not the way to build our economy and to
foster advancements in innovation. We should be investing more in
research and development, which means, of course, investing in
scientists, but also investing in their ability to pursue science.
Would Congress do better if we did not meet in person, if we stayed
home and got on conference calls every once in a while? I don't think
so. I think the gains that are made in good legislation that come from
conferences, from working together as colleagues as we gather for
votes, or in committees, are invaluable. The same can be said for
scientific conferences--better innovation can occur when scientists
meet together, face-to-face.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 313, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________