,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #aca #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cac ,report ,no4 #aac-ahc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ah1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,emerson introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,government ,reform ,july #cj1 #bjac ,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick and ,mr4 ,lankford ,july #cj1 #bjac ,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed ,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic ,for text of introduced bill1 see copy of bill as introduced on ,january #ah1 #bjac ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 to institute spending limits and transparency requirements for ,federal conference and travel expenditures1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,government ,spending ,accountability ,act of #bjac or the ,,gsa ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,limits and transparency for conference and travel spending 7a7 ,amendment ,chapter #eg of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #egaa the following3 #egab4 ,limits and transparency for conference and travel spending 7a7 ,conference transparency and spending limits 7#a7 ,public availability of conference materials ,each agency shall post on the public website of that agency detailed information on any presentation made by any employee of that agency at a conference 7except to the extent the head of an agency excludes such information for reasons of national security7 including-- 7,a7 the prepared text of any verbal presentation made2 and 7,b7 any visual1 digital1 video1 or audio materials presented1 including photographs1 slides1 and audio-visual recordings4 7#b7 ,limits on amount expended on a conference 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 an agency may not expend more than #ejj1jjj to support a single conference4 7,b7 ,exception ,the head of an agency may waive the limitation in subparagraph 7,a7 for a specific conference after making a determination that the expenditure is justified as the most cost-effective option to achieve a compelling purpose4 ,the head of an agency shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on any waiver granted under this subparagraph1 including the justification for such waiver4 7,c7 ,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 #ejj1jjj4 7b7 ,international conference rule ,an agency may not pay the travel expenses for more than #ej employees of that agency who are stationed in the ,united ,states1 for any international conference1 unless the ,secretary of ,state determines that attendance for such employees is in the national interest1 or the head of the agency determines that attendance for such employees is critical to the agency's mission4 ,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 subsection1 including the justification for such waiver4 7c7 ,reporting on travel and conference expenses required ,at the beginning of each quarter of each fiscal year1 each agency shall post on the public website of that agency a report on each conference that costs more than #aj1jjj for which the agency paid travel expenses during the preceding #c months that includes-- 7#a7 the itemized expenses paid by the agency1 including travel1 lodging1 and meal expenses1 and any other agency expenditures to otherwise support the conference2 7#b7 the primary sponsor of the conference2 7#c7 the location of the conference2 7#d7 the date of the conference2 7#e7 a brief explanation of how the participation of employees from such agency at the conference advanced the mission of the agency2 7#f7 the title of any employee1 or any individual who is not a ,federal employee1 whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the agency2 7#g7 the total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the agency2 and 7#h7 in the case of a conference for which that agency was the primary sponsor1 a statement that-- 7,a7 describes the cost to the agency of selecting the specific conference venue2 7,b7 describes why the location was selected1 including a justification for such selection2 7,c7 demonstrates the cost efficiency of the location2 7,d7 provides a cost benefit analysis of holding a conference rather than conducting a teleconference2 and 7,e7 describes any financial support or other assistance from a private entity used to pay or defray the costs of the conference1 and for each case where such support or assistance was used1 the head of the agency shall include a certification that there is no conflict of interest resulting from such support or assistance4 7d7 ,format and publication of reports ,each report posted on the public website under subsection 7c7 shall-- 7#a7 be in a searchable electronic format2 and 7#b7 remain on that website for at least #e years after the date of posting4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency has the meaning given that term under section #egja1 but does not include the government of the ,district of ,columbia4 7#b7 ,conference ,the term conference means a meeting1 retreat1 seminar1 symposium1 or event that-- 7,a7 is held for consultation1 education1 discussion1 or training2 and 7,b7 is not held entirely at a ,government facility4 7#c7 ,international conference ,the term international conference means a conference occurring outside the ,united ,states attended by representatives of-- 7,a7 the ,government of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 any foreign government1 international organization1 or foreign nongovernmental organization4 4 7b7 ,technical and conforming amendment ,the table of sections for chapter #eg of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #egaa the following3 #egab4 ,limits and transparency for conference and travel spending4 4 7c7 ,annual travel expense limits 7#a7 ,in general ,in the case of each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjah1 an agency 7as defined under section #egab7;e7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7a77 may not make1 or obligate to make1 expenditures for travel expenses1 in an aggregate amount greater than #gj percent of the aggregate amount of such expenses for fiscal year #bjaj4 7#b7 ,identification of travel expenses 7,a7 ,responsibilities ,not later than ,september #cj1 #bjac1 and after consultation with the ,administrator of ,general ,services and the ,director of the ,administrative ,office of the ,united ,states ,courts1 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 subsection4 ,the guidelines shall identify specific expenses1 and classes of expenses1 that are to be treated as travel expenses4 7,b7 ,exemption for military travel ,the guidelines required under subparagraph 7,a7 shall exclude military travel expenses in determining what expenses constitute travel expenses4 ,military travel expenses shall include travel expenses involving military combat1 the training or deployment of uniformed military personnel1 and such other travel expenses as determined by the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget1 in consultation with the ,administrator of ,general ,services and the ,director of the ,administrative ,office of the ,united ,states ,courts4 ,july #cj1 #bjac ,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed