ML21021A226
| ML21021A226 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/21/2021 |
| From: | Wheeler-Beniamin T NRC/OCFO |
| To: | |
| TAW | |
| References | |
| Download: ML21021A226 (1) | |
Text
Conference Expense Waivers and Reports On November 9, 2011, President Obama issued Executive Order (EO) 13589, entitled "Promoting Efficient Spending," which directed Federal agencies to "take even more aggressive steps to ensure the Government is a good steward of taxpayer money." The related OMB Memorandum M-12-12, dated May 11, 2012 and subsequent OMB Memorandum M-17-08, dated November 25, 2016, recognized that "the Federal Government has a responsibility to [ensure] that Federal funds are used for purposes that are appropriate, cost effective, and important to the core mission" of each agency.
As part of the effort to safeguard Federal funds, Section 2 of the OMB memorandum directed agencies to "exercise discretion and judgment in ensuring that conference expenses are appropriate, necessary, and managed in a manner that minimizes expense to taxpayers." Specifically, OMB outlined a series of new conference-related policies and practices, which directed agencies to initiate senior-level review of all planned conferences, initiate senior level approval of all future conference expenses in excess of $100,000, prohibit expenses in excess of $500,000 on a single conference (unless the agency head issues a waiver to achieve a compelling purpose), and report publicly on all conference expenses in excess of $100,000.
Consistent with that guidance, on July 15, 2020, NRC Chairman Svinicki issued a waiver for the 2021 Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), to be held on March 8-11, 2021, citing exceptional circumstances under which spending more than $500,000 on this event is the most cost-effective option to achieve a compelling purpose. Chairman Svinicki had issued a waiver on July 8, 2019 for the 2020 RIC, scheduled on March 10-12, 2020. Subsequently, the 2020 RIC was cancelled on March 5, 2020 due to the COVID -19 public health emergency. Even though the 2020 RIC was cancelled, it was the only NRC-sponsored conference in fiscal year (FY) 2020 for which the net expenses, primarily associated with conference planning and organization, exceeded $100,000.. Details on the 2020 RIC are provided in the FY 2020 Conferences Report below:
- FY 2020 Conferences Report
- Waiver for the 2013 RIC
- Waiver for the 2014 RIC
- Waiver for the 2015 RIC
- Waiver for the 2016 RIC
- Waiver for the 2017 RIC
- Waiver for the 2018 RIC
- Waiver for the 2019 RIC
- Waiver for the 2020 RIC
- Waiver for the 2021 RIC