Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) recently offered a bill that would rein in spending for federal agency conferences and bring accountability and transparency to the meetings.
The proposed bill, The Transparency Requirements for Agency Conferences and Events Act, would increase the accountability of federal agencies by requiring a comprehensive report detailing the costs associated with an agency’s involvement in all conferences, retreats, seminars or other such events.
“All taxpayers have a right to know where their hard-earned dollars are going,” Paulsen said. “It is deeply upsetting to know that some agencies are spending taxpayer money on excessive conferences when so many families across the country struggle to make ends meet.”
The TRACE Act would require a detailed statement of all the costs of attending or hosting the conference, the names of keynote speakers, a list of conference attendees, the conference location and itinerary, and a summary of the purposes and goals of the event. The information must be made public 30 days before the conference begins.
Paulson said increased transparency measures would significantly reduce unnecessary spending by federal agencies and would discourage conferences that do not have valid civic purposes.
Paulsen serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the bicameral Joint Economic Committee. He said the proposed bill is part of a larger effort to stem wasteful government spending and address the national deficit.
Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, is a cosponsor of the proposed bill. He said he was shocked to hear recent reports about some of the waste and abuse being perpetrated within certain federal agencies.
“As part of the larger effort to rein in federal spending and address our national deficit, this bill will play an important role in bringing accountability and transparency to government,” Kind said.