Gsa

WASHINGTON -- In a display of bureaucratic gymnastics, Jeff Neely, the official at the heart of the General Services Administration conference scandal, reported to two people: a senior counsel at the agency, and himself. Neely was both the Pacific Rim region commissioner for the Public Buildings Service and the region's acting administrator -- the top GSA position in the area -- Susan Brita, the agency's deputy administrator, said at a congressional hearing Tuesday. That dual authority appears to have contributed to his ability to rack up vast bills for conferences using taxpayer money.

A complex plan to build a new federal courthouse and federal office building in downtown Los Angeles has come under fire by two congressmen who argue that the proposal lacks justification and won't work financially. Under the plan proposed by the U.S. General Services Administration, two buildings would be built on a lot bounded by Broadway and 1st, 2nd and Hill streets. Part of the project would be funded by a private developer, which in return would take over an existing federal courthouse building on Spring Street.

After a report exposed lavish spending by the General Services Administration at a four-day conference in Las Vegas, a member of Congress says he will hold a hearing to probe the agency's stewardship of taxpayer money. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the public buildings subpanel of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he would lead a hearing "to hold GSA accountable for taxpayer waste and inefficiency," once Congress returns from recess April 16. An inspector general's report detailed $822,000 in expenses for the 2010 conference in Nevada, including a $100-plus-per-person reception and $6,325 for commemorative coins to commend GSA employees' work on the stimulus package.

WASHINGTON -- Jeff Neely, the regional director responsible for much of the General Services Administration's highly controversial $823,000 conference in Las Vegas in 2010, is no longer employed by the agency, a spokesman said. "GSA is in the process of completing its review of activities associated with the Western Regions Conference and pursuing all available avenues for appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible. Jeff Neely was placed on administrative leave based on his involvement in the WRC. As of today, he's no longer employed with GSA,” Deputy Press Secretary Adam Elkington said in a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times.

Congress is taking steps toward reform in the wake of the General Services Administration's spending scandal, with the House planning to vote Wednesday on a bill that would set new standards for transparency. The vote follows Tuesday's Senate approval of a spending limitations amendment aimed at government-funded conferences. The House bill, titled the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act , was originally introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in June 2011. At its heart, the bill would mandate that recipients of contracts, loans and grants on a federal level report their spending uniformly, and all federal agencies would be required to disclose their expenditures and financial obligations in a uniform manner on a single public website.

WASHINGTON -- The General Services Administration official who was the first to bring attention to excessive spending taking place at a 2010 conference in Las Vegas testified Tuesday to support the government's investigation and subsequent dealings with the agency. Deputy Commissioner Susan Brita told those attending Tuesday's House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing that "I share your anger and disappointment in GSA's conduct. " Brita initially informed Robert Peck, the former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service, of her concerns about the need for the conference, and has since aided in Inspector General Brian Miller's examination of the GSA. Peck was one of two deputies fired from the GSA following the resignation of the agency's administrator, Martha Johnson.

WASHINGTON -- Jeff Neely, the regional director responsible for much of the General Services Administration's highly controversial $823,000 conference in Las Vegas in 2010, is no longer employed by the agency, a spokesman said. "GSA is in the process of completing its review of activities associated with the Western Regions Conference and pursuing all available avenues for appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible. Jeff Neely was placed on administrative leave based on his involvement in the WRC. As of today, he's no longer employed with GSA,” Deputy Press Secretary Adam Elkington said in a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times.

WASHINGTON - Topic A on Sunday's talk shows was federal employees behaving badly, with most outcry over the Secret Service agents ensnared in a prostitution scandal in Colombia. But criticism also mounted for the General Services Administration, caught in its own brouhaha over extravagant spending at a Las Vegas conference and other venues. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the GSA's lavish spending in Las Vegas was “really outrageous” and “sickening” because it didn't represent most people who work for the federal government.

WASHINGTON - As the investigation into lavish spending by the General Services Administration widens beyond the $823,000 conference held in Las Vegas in 2010, new claims have been levied at GSA administrator Jeff Neely regarding official travel that included his wife. Neely, silent since invoking the 5th Amendment at the onset of a series of congressional hearings on the GSA, has been the focus of heavy criticism over his role not only in the planning of the Las Vegas conference, but also his personal conduct at the agency.

WASHINGTON - The Senate took its turn holding a hearing on the excessive spending of the embattled General Services Administration on Wednesday, with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) announcing “the party's over.” Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, began the oversight hearing on the GSA by detailing its history of misconduct stretching back to the administration of President Carter in the late 1970s. Boxer called Daniel Tangherlini, the new acting administrator of the GSA, “a no-nonsense leader” and expressed confidence that he would be able to clean up the mess left behind by former administrator Martha Johnson, who resigned soon after the scandal came to light.

In Washington, another scandal has broken over excessive spending during a business conference. But travel experts predict the effect this time around will be limited. Four years ago, it was insurance giant American International Group Inc.that was slammed for holding a lavish executive retreat at a Dana Point resort after taking billions of dollars in government bailout money. In the face of harsh criticism of excessive spending amid a recession, corporations dramatically cut back on business travel, dealing a blow to hotels and airlines across the country.

Congress is taking steps toward reform in the wake of the General Services Administration's spending scandal, with the House planning to vote Wednesday on a bill that would set new standards for transparency. The vote follows Tuesday's Senate approval of a spending limitations amendment aimed at government-funded conferences. The House bill, titled the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act , was originally introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in June 2011. At its heart, the bill would mandate that recipients of contracts, loans and grants on a federal level report their spending uniformly, and all federal agencies would be required to disclose their expenditures and financial obligations in a uniform manner on a single public website.

WASHINGTON - It was a simple scam: Coleen Newton-White, a government contractor, and her husband would take General Services Administration credit cards from the motor pool at Ft. Monroe, Va., and use them to sell fuel at a discount to cash customers who pulled up to service stations five at a time. Between 2008 and 2010, the scheme netted the couple almost $300,000, according to court records. Although the gas scheme is a world away from the nearly $823,000 spent on a lavish Las Vegas-area conference put on by GSA official Jeff Neely - including a mind reader, sushi and in-room parties - it is an example of the fraud that the procurement and property management agency faces regularly.

WASHINGTON - Topic A on Sunday's talk shows was federal employees behaving badly, with most outcry over the Secret Service agents ensnared in a prostitution scandal in Colombia. But criticism also mounted for the General Services Administration, caught in its own brouhaha over extravagant spending at a Las Vegas conference and other venues. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the GSA's lavish spending in Las Vegas was “really outrageous” and “sickening” because it didn't represent most people who work for the federal government.

WASHINGTON - As the investigation into lavish spending by the General Services Administration widens beyond the $823,000 conference held in Las Vegas in 2010, new claims have been levied at GSA administrator Jeff Neely regarding official travel that included his wife. Neely, silent since invoking the 5th Amendment at the onset of a series of congressional hearings on the GSA, has been the focus of heavy criticism over his role not only in the planning of the Las Vegas conference, but also his personal conduct at the agency.

WASHINGTON - The Senate took its turn holding a hearing on the excessive spending of the embattled General Services Administration on Wednesday, with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) announcing “the party's over.” Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, began the oversight hearing on the GSA by detailing its history of misconduct stretching back to the administration of President Carter in the late 1970s. Boxer called Daniel Tangherlini, the new acting administrator of the GSA, “a no-nonsense leader” and expressed confidence that he would be able to clean up the mess left behind by former administrator Martha Johnson, who resigned soon after the scandal came to light.

LAS VEGAS -- This gaming capital has some winners and a lot of big-time losers, one of the last being a guy named Uncle Sam. Oh, and don't forget about those American taxpayers. The government's General Services Administration threw a humdinger of a four-day conference in 2010 at the M Resort in suburban Henderson that was billed to the public coffers to the tune of more than $800,000. The soiree featured a mind reader and other extravagances, leading to a federal probe into the affair.

WASHINGTON -- In a display of bureaucratic gymnastics, Jeff Neely, the official at the heart of the General Services Administration conference scandal, reported to two people: a senior counsel at the agency, and himself. Neely was both the Pacific Rim region commissioner for the Public Buildings Service and the region's acting administrator -- the top GSA position in the area -- Susan Brita, the agency's deputy administrator, said at a congressional hearing Tuesday. That dual authority appears to have contributed to his ability to rack up vast bills for conferences using taxpayer money.