article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Purchase Card Waste Elimination Act of 2006''. SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR GUIDANCE. (a) Office of Management and Budget Policy Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall issue guidelines to assist the heads of executive agencies in improving the management of the use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making micropurchases. The Director shall include guidelines on the following matters: (1) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify opportunities for achieving savings through micropurchases made in economical volumes. (2) Negotiation of discount agreements with major vendors accepting the purchase card. (3) Establishment of communication programs to ensure that purchase card holders receive information pertaining to the availability of discounts, including programs for the training of purchase card holders on the availability of discounts. (4) Assessment of cardholder purchasing practices, including use of discount agreements. (5) Collection and dissemination of best practices and successful strategies for achieving savings in micropurchases. (6) Analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify opportunities for achieving and accurately measuring fair participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases consistent with the national policy on small business participation in Federal procurements set forth in sections 2(a) and 15(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631(a) and 644(g)), and dissemination of best practices for participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases. (b) General Services Administration.--The Administrator of General Services shall-- (1) continue efforts to improve reporting by financial institutions that issue the Governmentwide commercial purchase card so that the General Services Administration has the data needed to identify opportunities for achieving savings; and (2) actively pursue point-of-sale discounts with major vendors accepting the purchase card so that any Federal Government purchaser using the purchase card can benefit from such point-of-sale discounts. (c) Agency Reporting Requirement.--The senior procurement executive for each executive agency shall, as directed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submit to the Director periodic reports on the actions taken in such executive agency pursuant to the guidelines issued under subsection (a). (d) Congressional Oversight.--Not later than December 31 of the year following the year in which this Act is enacted, and December 31 of each of the ensuing three years, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives a report summarizing the progress made during the fiscal year ending in the year in which such report is due-- (1) in improving the management of the use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card for making micropurchases; and (2) in achieving savings in micropurchases made with such card, expressed in terms of average savings achieved by each executive agency in the use of discount agreements identified in subsection (a) and the total savings achieved Governmentwide. (e) Definitions.--In this section: (1) The term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403). (2) The term ``micropurchase'' means a purchase in an amount not in excess of the micropurchase threshold, as defined in section 32 of such Act (41 U.S.C. 428). SEC. 3. PAYMENTS TO FEDERAL CONTRACTORS WITH FEDERAL TAX DEBT. The General Services Administration, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service and the Financial Management Service, shall develop procedures to subject purchase card payments to Federal contractors to the Federal Payment Levy program. SEC. 4. REPORTING OF AIR TRAVEL BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. (a) Annual Reports Required.--The Administrator of the General Services shall submit annually to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives a report on all first class and business class travel by employees of each executive agency undertaken at the expense of the Federal Government. (b) Content.--The reports submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, with respect to each travel by first class or business class-- (1) the names of each traveler; (2) the date of travel; (3) the points of origination and destination; (4) the cost of the first class or business class travel; and (5) the cost difference between such travel and travel by coach class. (c) Executive Agency Defined.--In this section, the term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403). Passed the Senate June 6, 2006. Attest: Secretary. 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 457 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance for, and provide oversight of, the management of micropurchases made with Governmentwide commercial purchase cards, and for other purposes.
summary: Purchase Card Waste Elimination Act of 2006 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidelines to assist executive agencies in improving the management of the use of the governmentwide commercial purchase card for making micropurchases. Requires such guidelines to cover an analysis of purchase card expenditures to identify opportunities for achieving and accurately measuring: (1) fair participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases, consistent with the national policy on small business participation in federal procurements set forth in the Small Business Act; and (2) dissemination of best practices for participation of small business concerns in micro-purchases. Requires the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to continue efforts to improve reporting by financial institutions that issue such a card so that GSA has the data needed to: (1) identify opportunities for achieving savings; and (2) actively pursue point-of-sale discounts with major vendors accepting it so that any federal government purchaser using it can benefit from such discounts. Requires the senior procurement executive for each executive agency, as directed by OMB, to report periodically to OMB on the actions taken in the agency pursuant to the guidelines. Requires OMB to report annually to specified congressional committees on the progress made in: (1) improving management of the use of the purchase card; and (2) achieving certain savings in micropurchases made with it. Requires GSA, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Financial Management Service, to develop procedures to subject to the Federal Payment Levy program any purchase card payments to federal contractors. Requires GSA to report annually to specified congressional committees on all first class and business class travel by executive agency employees undertaken at federal expense.