WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2015 Intelligence Authorization Act including an amendment authored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, requiring the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to report to Congress on the Intelligence Community’s efforts to reduce administrative costs. The measure passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, the House of Representatives last night, and now heads to the President’s desk for his signature to become law.

“The government, including the Intelligence Community, should always strive to use taxpayer dollars in an efficient and effective way,” said Senator King. “And when you consider that most of the Intelligence Community’s budget is classified out of necessity, it is critical that the Director of National Intelligence report to Congress on expenditures and allocations to ensure that taxpayer money is being spent wisely.”

Senator King’s amendment would require the DNI to submit to the Congressional Intelligence Committees a report with a description of the status and effectiveness of efforts to:

• Devise alternatives to government travel and promote efficient travel spending
• Limit costs related to hosting and attending conferences
• Assess information technology inventories and usage, and establish controls, to reduce costs related to underutilized information technology equipment, software, or services
• Improve the performance of Federal fleet motor vehicles and limit executive transportation
• Limit the purchase of extraneous promotions items, such as plaques, clothing, and commemorative items, and;
• Consolidate and streamline workforce training programs to focus on the highest priority workforce and mission needs

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