[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14600]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  FEDERAL AGENCIES NEED MORE OVERSIGHT

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, Congress has a duty to ensure that taxpayer 
dollars by hard-working Americans are spent wisely and responsibly. 
However, too often, we have seen Federal agencies that have acted in a 
way that waste taxpayer money by holding excessive conferences with 
extravagant gifts, luxuries, and perks.
  We all remember the lavish Las Vegas GSA conference that cost 
$823,000 for 300 employees, including tens of thousands of dollars 
spent on gifts. The IRS spent a whopping $50 million--taxpayer 
dollars--on conferences alone during a 3-year period.
  These agencies need more accountability. That is why my colleague, 
Ron Kind, and I have introduced the bipartisan TRACE Act. This 
legislation simply requires the head of a Federal agency who is hosting 
a conference to submit a summary of that event to Congress for review.
  This initiative will hold agencies accountable. It will improve 
oversight and transparency. It will save hard-earned taxpayer money, 
and it will create a more efficient and effective government.

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