On the recordApril 24, 2012
This is a straightforward amendment on conferences. We all have seen what happened with the GSA conference. This is all about transparency and creating a system where we are actually getting to see what is spent on conferences. There is not one branch of the Federal Government that does not have teleconferencing available and videoconferencing available. What we do know is from 2000 to 2006, the Federal Government--that is the last time we have records--spent over $2.2 billion on conferences. We know the travel budget is $15 billion a year and a minimum $500 million a year is spent on conferences at a time when we need to spend less, and they have grown remarkably during the Bush administration as well as this administration. This is just simple good government transparency, where we have put on a Web site what they are doing and why they are doing it. We limit foreign conference travel to 50. We limit the maximum amount to $500,000, unless they can make an exception for that based on cause and reason. So it is simply a good government program to get some visibility on what we are spending on conferences, and I would ask for a voice vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
