I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2643 
To provide for a review of efforts to reduce Federal agency travel expenses 
through the use of video conferencing and a plan to achieve additional 
reductions in such expenses through the use of video conferencing, to 
implement such plan through rescissions of appropriations, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2013 
Mr. FITZPATRICK (for himself, Mr. BARROW of Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. WELCH, Mr. COFFMAN, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, 
Mr. MATHESON, and Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for a review of efforts to reduce Federal agency 
travel expenses through the use of video conferencing 
and a plan to achieve additional reductions in such ex-
penses through the use of video conferencing, to imple-
ment such plan through rescissions of appropriations, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stay in Place, Cut 
the Waste Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Federal Government spends billions of 
dollars per year on travel to conferences, training 
programs, business meetings, court and administra-
tive hearings, and other related activities. 
(2) On November 9, 2011, President Barack 
Obama issued Executive Order 13589 (76 Fed. Reg. 
70863; relating to promoting efficient spending). 
Section 2 of such Executive order directs the head 
of each executive department or agency to establish 
a plan for fiscal year 2013 to reduce the combined 
expenses associated with a variety of activities, in-
cluding travel, by not less than 20 percent below fis-
cal year 2010 levels. 
(3) Section 3 of Executive Order 13589 ad-
dresses travel spending and provides, in part, for the 
use of video conferencing. 
(4) In May 2012, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget instructed the heads of ex-
ecutive departments and agencies to reduce their 
travel budgets in fiscal year 2013 to 30 percent 
below fiscal year 2010 levels. 
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(5) While the Administration has made efforts 
to utilize video conferencing and reduce travel ex-
penses, such practices are still a largely untapped 
means of saving taxpayer dollars. 
(6) The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 
(Public Law 111–292) requires the head of each ex-
ecutive agency to establish a policy under which eli-
gible employees of such agency may be authorized to 
telework. 
(7) The video conferencing industry has shifted 
from a hardware-based model to a browser-based 
model, leading to reduced expenses and increased ef-
ficiency in a system that is able to meet the needs 
in daily commerce for full-featured conferencing 
using off-the-shelf equipment present in most every 
Government office, business, and home. 
(8) Video conferencing can be used by Federal 
employees instead of or in addition to telephones and 
email to enhance communication and problem solv-
ing, to reduce associated carbon footprints, to facili-
tate staff training and interagency meetings, and to 
increase employee productivity, thereby helping 
shorten project timelines, promote efficiency, im-
prove collaboration among coworkers across the 
country, and improve work-life balance. 
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