Author Archives: GovExec

5 Ways to Get Your Conference Approved

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Originally published by Goran Gligorovic on Government Executive

Budget cuts and tighter regulations in the wake of high-profile cases of excessive conference spending have combined to put the squeeze on federal off-site gatherings this year.

However, the U.S. Chief Financial Officers Council shared guidance recently indicating that government travel is, by no means, forbidden. "As each agency reviews its travel and conference-related activities, it is critical for each agency to continue to recognize the important role that mission-related travel and conferences can often play in government operations," the council said in a May 28 Controller Alert.

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Government Saves on Federal Travel

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Originally posted by Kellie Lunney on Government Executive

Average air fares for federal travelers will be cheaper in fiscal 2014, the government announced.

The General Services Administration said on Friday that it negotiated and awarded new contracts for the fiscal 2014 City Pair Program to 10 U.S. air carriers, saving the government an estimated $2.2 billion. Average one-way plane tickets for feds flying domestic on government business will fall 4 percent in fiscal 2014 from current rates, while international fares are dropping 7 percent. Also, the program is increasing available routes by 25 percent to more than 6,300 destinations, and government travelers will benefit from 20 percent more non-stop flights to 1,887 routes, according to GSA.

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Government Conferences Pay for Themselves, Industry Says

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Originally posted by Charles S. Clark on Government Executive

Agency spending on travel to conferences is "vital to making government more efficient and effective," says a study released this month by the U.S. Travel Association. It argues that current Obama administration guidelines and legislation to curb conference spending is counterproductive.

Government travel for meetings and events had a total economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2011, supported 343,800 U.S. jobs and $14.5 billion in U.S. wages, and contributed $5.5 billion in tax revenue, according to the data compiled by Rockport Analytics LLC.

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Bring Federal Conferences Back to Las Vegas, Lawmakers Say

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Originally posted by Kedar Pavgi on GovExec

A bipartisan group of House members from Nevada want to eliminate bans on federal agencies holding conferences in casinos or resort locations.

The bill--proposed by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei and Joe Heck, and Democratic Reps. Dina Titus and Steven Horsford--says such prohibitions are counterproductive and unfairly target areas with high numbers of resort and vacation locations.

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GSA Exec Dismissed During Spending Scandal Gets His Job Back

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Originally posted by Kedar Pavgi on Government Executive

A Merit Systems Protection Board judge on Monday ruled that a General Services Administration executive was wrongfully dismissed after being caught up in a conference spending scandal, according to Federal News Radio.

MSPB Administrative Law Judge Patricia Miller reversed GSA's decision to remove Paul Prouty following allegations of misconduct and overspending at a training conference. Prouty, a 41-year veteran of GSA, was dismissed during the fallout from an $820,000, four-day conference in Las Vegas in 2010, and left the agency last August.  Until then, he had served as the agency's Public Buildings Service Region 8 commissioner.

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