I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1804 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to submit to Congress semiannual reports on the cost of foreign 

travel made by employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2013 

Mr. HUELSKAMP introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress semiannual reports on the cost of foreign travel made by 

employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Foreign Travel Ac5 countability Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SEMIANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON COST OF 

2 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 5 of title 

4 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 518. Semiannual reports to Congress on cost of for7 eign travel 

8 ‘‘(a) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than June 

9 30, 2014, and each 180-day period thereafter, the Sec10 retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

11 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

12 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate a semiannual report on 

13 covered foreign travel made during the 180-day period 

14 covered by the report. 

15 ‘‘(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—Each report under sub16 section (a) shall include the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) With respect to each instance of covered 

18 foreign travel made during the period covered by the 

19 report— 

20 ‘‘(A) the purpose of such travel; 

21 ‘‘(B) the destination; 

22 ‘‘(C) the name and title of each employee 

23 included on such travel; 

24 ‘‘(D) the duration of such travel; and 

25 ‘‘(E) the total cost to the Department of 

26 such travel. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The final costs to the Department with re2 spect to all covered foreign travel made during the 

3 period covered by the report, including costs relating 

4 to— 

5 ‘‘(A) transportation, including fares for 

6 travel by air, rail, bus, ferry, cruise ship, taxi, 

7 mass transit, or other mode of transportation; 

8 ‘‘(B) expenses or reimbursements relating 

9 to operating and maintaining a car, including 

10 the costs of fuel and mileage; 

11 ‘‘(C) passport and visa fees; 

12 ‘‘(D) lodging; 

13 ‘‘(E) per diem payments; 

14 ‘‘(F) baggage charges; 

15 ‘‘(G) computer rental fees; 

16 ‘‘(H) rental of halls, auditoriums, or other 

17 spaces; 

18 ‘‘(I) entertainment; and 

19 ‘‘(J) contractors. 

20 ‘‘(c) DUPLICATIVE INFORMATION.—Each report 

21 under subsection (a) shall include the information de22 scribed in subsection (b) regardless of whether such infor23 mation is also included in a report under section 517 of 

24 this title. 


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1 ‘‘(d) COVERED FOREIGN TRAVEL DEFINED.—In this 

2 section, the term ‘covered foreign travel’ means travel 

3 made by an employee of the Department of Veterans Af4 fairs, including an employee who is stationed in a foreign 

5 country, on official business to a location outside of— 

6 ‘‘(1) the several States; 

7 ‘‘(2) the District of Columbia; 

8 ‘‘(3) a territory, commonwealth, or possession 

9 of the United States; 

10 ‘‘(4) Indian lands (as defined in section 4(4) of 

11 the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 

12 2703(4))); or 

13 ‘‘(5) the territorial waters of the United 

14 States.’’. 

15 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

16 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 

17 after the item relating to section 517 the following new 

18 item: 

‘‘518. Semiannual reports to Congress on cost of foreign travel.’’. 

Æ 


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