Watchdog urges Homeland Security to tighten conference policies

The Homeland Security Department has made progress developing guidance on conference attendance and allowable costs, but officials must do more to ensure taxpayer money is well-spent, the agency's inspector general said in a report released on Friday.

From fiscal 2005 to 2007, Homeland Security spent $110 million on conference-related activities, according to the report. While this represented less than 1 percent of available funds, department officials should have taken stronger steps to track how the money was spent and eliminate potential waste, the IG said.

Auditors praised Homeland Security's chief financial officer for issuing a departmentwide policy on employee travel expenses and conference planning in October 2008. But they noted the document defers to component agencies with stricter conference policies to follow their existing guidance, essentially allowing DHS agencies to operate under their own rules.

"The departmental conference planning policy does not identify responsibilities or authorities clearly, define terminology and guidance consistently, nor clarify policy instructions and procedures adequately," the report stated.

In addition, data on conference spending did not contain sufficient supporting documentation and was "unreliable, unverifiable and provided little assurance that all conference and related costs were tracked and accounted for properly," the report stated. The IG also expressed concern that a lack of coordination across DHS agencies may have resulted in duplicate sponsorships of conferences.

"The recent findings of the inspector general that DHS employees failed to account properly for travel and conference expenses raise questions about whether taxpayers' dollars were spent wisely," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "While some of this travel is related to essential training and exercise programs, the IG's findings do not inspire confidence that the department ensured careful stewardship of the taxpayers' money."

Collins urged Homeland Security to respond quickly to the IG's recommendations, which included placing the under secretary for management in charge of overseeing conference planning activities. Auditors also advised DHS to develop a departmentwide definition of a conference, and consolidate best practices from component agencies into a clear, comprehensive piece of guidance.

To further cut down on possible waste or abuse, the IG recommended that DHS establish methodology to record and report on conference planning and costs. Agency officials also should develop a plan to approve, track, report on and conduct periodic reviews of conference-related expenses and attendance.

Other recommendations included ensuring the agency conducts proper cost-benefit analyses for conference and travel costs and that all decision justifications are properly documented. Not only did DHS management concur with all 12 of the recommendations issued, but officials proposed plans to address them. The IG stated that, once fully implemented, these actions will "enhance [DHS] oversight and reporting capabilities."