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[House Report 113-183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

113th Congress  }                                             {   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session    }                                             {  113-183

======================================================================

 
             GOVERNMENT SPENDING ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2013

                                _______
                                

 July 30, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Issa, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 
was referred 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, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill 
as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Committee Statement and Views....................................     3
Section-by-Section...............................................     5
Explanation of Amendments........................................     6
Committee Consideration..........................................     6
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     6
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     6
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     7
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     7
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     7
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     7
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     7
Earmark Identification...........................................     7
Committee Estimate...............................................     7
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate...     8
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported.............     9

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

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 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) 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 in 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 in 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) 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.

                     Committee Statement and Views

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    In May 2012, the Committee held a hearing on a General 
Services Administration (GSA) conference in Las Vegas, Nevada 
that cost taxpayers more than $820,000. Since that hearing, the 
Committee has uncovered multiple agency conferences that had 
questionable costs and included activities of dubious value. 
H.R. 313 seeks to curb wasteful Executive Branch conference and 
travel spending.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Shortly following the highly-publicized GSA Las Vegas 
conference boondoggle, the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) issued a May 2012 memo outlining new policies and 
procedures for federal travel and conferences. The OMB guidance 
instructs the heads of federal departments and agencies to 
reduce travel spending for FY 2013 to 70 percent of the FY 2010 
level.
    In addition, the OMB memo offers new rules for conferences, 
such as requiring senior level review for all planned events, 
senior level approval and public reporting for those events 
costing in excess of $100,000, and a general prohibition on 
events costing more than $500,000 unless the agency head 
provides a waiver.
    During fiscal year 2012 alone, there were nearly 900 
federal conferences that each cost in excess of $100,000. The 
total cost of these ``major events'' exceeded $340 million 
dollars.
    H.R. 313 codifies OMB's travel and conference guidelines--
with some important changes:
    While exempting military travel, the bill ensures that 
agencies achieve a 70-percent reduction in non-military related 
travel by eliminating loopholes in the OMB memo.
    The bill also requires agencies to post online, on a 
quarterly basis, detailed, itemized reports of all conference 
spending above $10,000. The reports are to include a cost-
benefit analysis of conducting a conference instead of a 
teleconference. The bill also requires that prepared materials 
presented at a conference by a federal employee be made 
publicly available online.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    On April 25, 2012, the Senate adopted S. 1789, the 21st 
Century Postal Reform Act, by a vote of 62-37. During floor 
consideration of S. 1789, the Senate adopted by voice vote an 
amendment offered by Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma limiting 
overall federal travel spending, curbing travel for 
international conferences, and setting additional transparency 
measures for domestic and international conference spending. 
The amendment was incorporated as Title V of the bill, as 
adopted by the Senate.
    Later the same day, the House adopted by voice vote under 
suspension of the rules H.R. 2146, the Digital Accountability 
and Transparency Act (DATA Act), as amended. Section 308 of the 
floor version of DATA contained federal travel and conference 
spending language largely paralleling the language of the 
Coburn amendment to S. 1789. The DATA Act as passed by the 
House also instituted new transparency requirements across the 
Government applicable to all federal spending data, including 
travel and conference-related spending.
    Last year, the Committee reported a bill introduced by 
Representative Joe Walsh (H.R. 4631, the Government Spending 
Accountability Act, or GSA Act) that was subsequently adopted 
by the full House. The text of the Walsh bill was similar to 
the travel/conference language in the House-passed DATA Act. 
The Senate never took action on the GSA Act.
    Before her retirement earlier this year, Representative Jo 
Ann Emerson reintroduced the GSA Act as H.R. 313, on January 
18, 2013. Chairman Farenthold subsequently assumed primary 
sponsorship of the bill.
    In February 2013, the Federal Workforce Subcommittee held a 
hearing on federal agency spending on travel and conferences. 
This hearing uncovered a significant amount of waste, including 
a conference where an agency was spending more than $47 per 
employee for lunch, and in which more than a third of the 
conference budget was dedicated to administrative costs and 
fees.
    On March 20, 2013, the Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee unanimously approved H.R. 313 after adopting an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute and two additional 
amendments.

                           Section-by-Section

    Section 1. Short title. The Act may be cited as 
``Government Spending Accountability Act of 2013'' or the ``GSA 
Act of 2013.''

Section 2. Limits and transparency for conference and travel spending

    A new section 5712 is added to Chapter 57 of title 5, 
United States Code, entitled, ``Limits and transparency for 
conference and travel spending.''
    Under this section, each agency must make publicly 
available material presented by an employee of that agency at a 
conference, unless the head of the agency excludes such 
information due to national security concerns.
    Section 5712 also limits the total amount of money an 
agency can spend on any conference to $500,000. The head of an 
agency may waive that limitation 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.
    Agencies are prohibited from paying travel expenses for 
more than 50 U.S.-stationed employees to attend any 
international conference. A waiver can be granted by the 
Secretary of State, or an agency head.
    Each agency is required to post on a quarterly basis on its 
website a report on each conference for which it paid travel 
expenses during the preceding three months. Each conference 
report is required to include several required elements, 
including itemized expenses paid by the agency, travel 
expenses, the event sponsor, the location, a brief explanation 
of how participation advanced the mission of the agency, etc.
    For conferences for which the agency is the primary 
sponsor, the report is to include a statement that describes 
the cost to the agency of selecting the specific conference 
venue; describes why the location was selected; demonstrates 
the cost efficiency of the location; provides a cost benefit 
analysis of holding a conference rather than a teleconference; 
and describes any financial support from a private entity used 
to defray the cost of the conference.
    Each report is to be in a searchable electronic format and 
shall remain on the agency website for at least 5 years after 
the date of posting.
    The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that term under 
section 5701, but does not include the government of the 
District of Columbia.
    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.
    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.
    The table of sections for chapter 57 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended.
    Annual travel expenditures by each agency for each of 
fiscal years 2014 through 2018 are limited to 70 percent of the 
amount the agency spent on travel in fiscal year 2010.
    The Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with 
the General Services Administration, and the Administrative 
Office of the United States Courts, is to establish guidelines 
no later than September 30, 2013, for determining what expenses 
constitute travel expenses. The guidelines are to establish 
specific expenses, and classes of expenses, to be treated as 
travel expenses.
    The guidelines are to exclude military travel expenses from 
the definition of travel expenses. Military expenses are to 
include travel expenses involving military combat, the training 
or deployment of uniformed military personnel, and other travel 
expenses as determined in the guidelines.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    Mr. Farenthold offered an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute that made technical changes to the bill and 
eliminated the 25-mile employee travel requirement in the 
definition of ``conference.'' The amendment was adopted.
    Mr. Clay offered an amendment to allow an agency head to 
waive the 50 employee limitation for international conferences 
if it is determined that additional employees' attendance is 
critical to the agency mission. The amendment was adopted.
    Mr. Clay offered an amendment to establish a $50,000 cost 
threshold for the reporting and posting requirements of 
prepared materials. Mr. Issa offered an amendment revising the 
Clay amendment to lower that threshold to $10,000. The Issa 
amendment to the Clay amendment was adopted, and then the Clay 
amendment was adopted.

                        Committee Consideration

    On March 20, 2013, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 313, as amended, by 
voice vote, a quorum being present.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a 
description of the application of this bill to the legislative 
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services and accommodations. 
This bill curbs wasteful Executive Branch conference and travel 
spending. As such this bill does not relate to employment or 
access to public services and accommodations.

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance 
goals and objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions 
of this report.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    No provision of H.R. 313 establishes or reauthorizes a 
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of 
another Federal program, a program that was included in any 
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program 
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    H.R. 313 directs the Office of Management and Budget, in 
consultation with the General Services Administration, and the 
Administrative Office of the United States Courts, to establish 
guidelines no later than September 30, 2013, for determining 
what expenses constitute travel expenses. The guidelines are to 
establish specific expenses, and classes of expenses, to be 
treated as travel expenses.

                     Federal Advisory Committee Act

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).

                       Unfunded Mandate Statement

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded 
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to 
whether the provisions of the report include unfunded mandates. 
In compliance with this requirement the Committee has received 
a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included herein.

                         Earmark Identification

    H.R. 313 does not include any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9 of rule XXI.

                           Committee Estimate

    Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out 
H.R. 313. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides that 
this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included 
in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.

     Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect 
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received 
the following cost estimate for H.R. 313 from the Director of 
Congressional Budget Office:

                                                    April 11, 2013.
Hon. Darrell Issa,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 313, the GSA Act 
of 2013.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                              Douglas W. Elmendorf.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 313--GSA Act of 2013

    H.R. 313 would require federal agencies to post on their 
public Web sites any information presented by federal employees 
at a conference. In addition, agencies would be required to 
provide quarterly reports to the Congress listing any 
conference, meeting, or event employees attended that involved 
travel expenses of more than $10,000 over a three-month period. 
Under the bill, attendance at international conferences would 
be limited to 50 federal employees that are stationed in the 
United States unless a waiver is granted by the State 
Department. The bill also would limit agencies' authority, over 
the next five years, to obligate funds for travel expenses 
(other than military travel) to 70 percent of the amount spent 
on travel in 2010. Finally, under the legislation, agencies 
would be prohibited from spending more than $500,000 to support 
a single conference.
    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 313 would have no 
significant net impact on the budget over the 2014-2018 period. 
We expect that there would be some minor, additional 
administrative costs for agencies to prepare reports on travel 
expenses and to post materials on their Web sites. Civilian 
agencies spent about $6.5 billion on travel-related expenses in 
fiscal year 2010 and about $5.5 billion in fiscal year 2011. By 
limiting the ability of agencies to obligate funds for travel 
costs over the 2014-2018 period to 70 percent of the amount 
spent in 2010, the legislation would probably result in a shift 
of spending to other activities. This provision might also lead 
to higher acquisition and leasing costs for additional 
equipment, such as telecommunications technologies. Thus, CBO 
expects that such a limitation would not result in 
significantly lower total spending by federal agencies unless 
total budgetary resources available to agencies to pay for 
administrative costs are reduced. Any net change in spending 
that would result from implementing H.R. 313 would depend on 
the amounts provided in future appropriation acts.
    The bill could affect direct spending by agencies not 
funded through annual appropriations; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures apply. CBO estimates, however, that any net change 
in spending by those agencies would not be significant. 
Enacting H.R. 313 would not affect revenues.
    H.R. 313 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

PART III--EMPLOYEES

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SUBPART D--PAY AND ALLOWANCES

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          CHAPTER 57--TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUBSISTENCE

    SUBCHAPTER I--TRAVEL AND SUBSISTENCE EXPENSES; MILEAGE ALLOWANCES

Sec.
5701. Definitions.
     * * * * * * *
5712. Limits and transparency for conference and travel spending.

SUBCHAPTER I--TRAVEL AND SUBSISTENCE EXPENSES; MILEAGE ALLOWANCES

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

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 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) 
        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 in 
                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 in 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.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                                  
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