Earlier, SOT reported that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform had introduced legislation, H.R. 313, which is entitled, "Government Spending Accountability Act of 2013." The bill was reported out of that committee and is set to come before the full House for a vote this Wednesday or Thursday, July 31 or August 1.
Under this legislation, all conference materials that are presented by employees of any federal agency are to be posted on the agency's public website. These postings will include visual, digital, video, or audio materials as well as photographs, slides, and audio-visual recordings. In addition, the agency is limited to expending $500,000 to support a single conference unless the head of an agency waives this limitation. This bill also mandates that no agency pay the travel expenses for more than 50 employees who are stationed in the US for any international conference unless the Secretary of State determines that attendance for such employees is critical to the agency's mission. Likewise, the agency is required to post on the public website a report on each conference that costs more than $10,000 for which the agency paid travel expenses.The agency is obligated to post itemized expenses including travel, lodging, and meals and any other agency funds that were used to support the conference.
Other items that must be posted include the primary purpose, the location, and the date of the conference; a brief explanation of how the participation by employees from such agency advanced the mission of that organization; and the total number of individuals whose travel or other conference expenses were paid for by the agency. Moreover, the agency may not make or obligate to make expenditures for travel in an aggregate amount greater than 70 percent of the amount of such expenses for fiscal year 2010.
The bill also requires that each agency submit to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs a report that contains a justification for any expenses that were excluded. No later than September 30, 2013, the Director of Management and Budget shall establish guidelines to determine what expenses constitute travel expenses. These guidelines shall identify specific expenses and classes of expenses that are to be treated as travel expenses.
To express your views or concerns, please visit the USA.gov website to reach your Member of Congress.
SOT will continue to update you on all developments with respect to this legislation.