I

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4805

To require reports on travel of Executive branch officers and employees

to international conferences, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 11, 1998

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred

to the Committee on International Relations

A BILL

To require reports on travel of Executive branch officers

and employees to international conferences, and for other

purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. REPORTS ON TRAVEL OF EXECUTIVE BRANCH

4 OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.

5 (a) REPORTS TO DEPARTMENT OF STATE.—(1) Ex6 cept as provided in paragraph (2), each officer and em7 ployee of an Executive Branch agency who travels abroad

8 to attend an international conference shall submit to the

9 Director of the Office of International Conferences of the

10 Department of State a report with respect to such travel
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1 under subsection (b) not later than 30 days after the com2 pletion of such travel.

3 (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply in the case of travel

4 by the following:

5 (A) The President.

6 (B) The Vice President.

7 (C) Any officer or employee who is—

8 (i) carrying out an intelligence or intel9 ligence-related activity;

10 (ii) performing a protective function; or

11 (iii) engaged in a sensitive diplomatic mis12 sion.

13 (b) REPORT.—Each report under subsection (a) shall

14 set forth the following:

15 (1) The name and agency of the officer or em16 ployee concerned.

17 (2) The duration and cost of the travel in18 volved.

19 (3) The name of the official who authorized the

20 travel.

21 (c) BIANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—(1) Not

22 later than April 1, 1999, and every six months thereafter,

23 the Director shall submit to the Committees on Foreign

24 Relations and Appropriations of the Senate and the Com25 mittees on International Relations and Appropriations of
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1 the House of Representatives a report regarding the travel

2 covered by the reports submitted to the Director under

3 subsection (a) during the six-month period ending on the

4 date of the report under this paragraph.

5 (2) Each report under paragraph (1) shall set forth

6 with respect to the period covered by such report the fol7 lowing:

8 (A) The names and agencies of the officers and

9 employees who traveled abroad to attend an inter10 national conference during such period.

11 (B) Each official who authorized the travel cov12 ered by subparagraph (A) and the total number of

13 officers and employees whose travel was authorized

14 by such official.

15 (C) The total cost of the travel covered by sub16 paragraph (A).

17 (d) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later

18 than six months after the date of enactment of this Act,

19 and annually thereafter, the President shall submit to the

20 committees referred to in subsection (c) a report setting

21 forth—

22 (1) the total expenditures by the Federal Gov23 ernment on all official travel abroad by each Execu24 tive Branch agency during the preceding fiscal year;

25 and
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1 (2) the total number of officials, officers, and

2 employees of each such agency who engaged in such

3 travel during that fiscal year.

4 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

5 (1) The term ‘‘Executive Branch agency’’ has

6 the meaning given the term ‘‘Executive agency’’ in

7 section 105 of title 5, United States Code, except

8 that the term also includes the Executive Office of

9 the President but does not include the General Ac10 counting Office.

11 (2) The term ‘‘international conference’’ means

12 any meeting held under the auspices of an inter13 national organization or foreign government at

14 which representatives of more than two foreign gov15 ernments are expected to be in attendance and to

16 which one or more Executive Branch agencies will

17 send an aggregate of 10 or more representatives.

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