Newport News, VA - BOSH Global Services (BOSH) will host its second annual "BBQ Lunch to benefit Wounded Warrior Project and the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program" on September 14, from 11:00 to 2:00 on the lawn at 1 Compass Way in Newport News, Virginia. The fundraiser, which is open to the public, will benefit two non-profit organizations dedicated to honoring, empowering and assisting wounded service members.
Originally posted by Charles S. Clark on Government Executive
As the Obama administration and Congress continue a crackdown on agency spending for travel and conferences, a clear majority of federal employees believe such gatherings are important and that their supervisors remain open to their participation, a new survey shows.
An online poll conducted in mid-August by Government Executive's research division, the Government Business Council, drew from employees at 30 agencies some 350 usable responses addressing the value of attending conferences at a time of embarrassing news stories detailing overspending at off-site events by agencies such as the General Services Administration and the Veterans Affairs Department.
Originally posted by Jolie Lee on Federal News Radio
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.)
Spa treatments, concert tickets, plus helicopter and stretch limo rides -- the initial details in a Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General investigation could overshadow the General Services Administration conference spending scandal.
A House lawmaker said Monday a preliminary investigation by the VA inspector general revealed two VA training conferences last year in Orlando cost the agency $5 million. In comparison, the GSA conference that set off a series of congressional inquiries cost about $820,000.
Originally posted by Kellie Lunney on Government Executive
Government travel per diem rates will not change in fiscal 2013, according to the General Services Administration.
GSA announced Tuesday that it will freeze fiscal 2013 travel reimbursement rates for lodging and other related expenses at fiscal 2012 levels. The move is part of the Office of Management and Budget's directive to agencies to reduce all travel spending in fiscal 2013 by 30 percent compared to fiscal 2010.
"By keeping per diem rates at current levels, we are supporting federal agencies in controlling costs and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used wisely," acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini said in a statement.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has rescinded the purchasing authority of employees in the departmental division under investigation for two conferences that cost $5 million and may have involved inappropriate gifts. Shinseki also has set up a 90-day independent review of Veteran Affairs Department training policies, VA announced.
In a statement released after news broke Monday that human resources employees at conferences in Florida in July and August 2011 may have accepted thousands of dollars' worth of gifts that included alcohol, concert tickets and spa visits, the department also said it is conducting new ethics training for all personnel involved with the planning and execution of conferences and recertification of contract specialists.
