FY 2016 Conference Spending (reported January 31, 2017)
HUD has implemented a Departmental conference review, approval, and reporting process to ensure that appropriated funds are spent properly relative to our essential mission. Managers throughout the Department are thoroughly evaluating ways to leverage technology when possible and maximize the benefit from the expenditures on conferences and travel. To this end, HUD has also increased the use of webcasts and online trainings in place of in-person conferences and meetings.
HUD’s conference process includes input from within HUD and from our constituents on the required training and information exchange that is best accomplished in-person. With proper internal controls, HUD will continue to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.
On November 25, 2016, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued Memorandum-17-08 “Amending OMB Memorandum M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations.” As required by M-17-08, HUD is reporting on each conference sponsored by HUD during the prior fiscal year (FY) where US Government appropriated funds were expended in excess of $100,000.
Conferences in excess of $500,000
During the FY ended September 30, 2016 (FY 2016), HUD did not sponsor any conferences which expended appropriated federal funds in excess of $500,000.
Conferences in excess of $100,000
Seven conferences sponsored by HUD during FY 2016 incurred the expenditure of appropriated funds in excess of $100,000. The following information is presented, per the guidance in M-17-08, for each of these conferences:
- sponsoring HUD program office
- conference name
- location
- date
- total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by HUD
- total conference expenses incurred
- brief explanation of how the conference advanced HUD’s mission
|
Listing of FY 2016 HUD-sponsored Conferences Over $100k |
||||
|
Program Office |
Conference (Name, Location and Date) |
Number of Payees | Total Conference Expenses |
How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency |
|
Regional Housing Mobility Programs: Practitioner Convening |
11 | $127,369 | The purpose of the convening was to explore the benefits for HUD-assisted residents of regional collaboration, defined as public housing agencies (PHAs) partnering with one another and other entities (not-for-profit organizations, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), state housing finance agencies) to expand access to areas of opportunity. The event was inspired by the formation of partnerships in a few areas of the country where PHAs are working collaboratively — and in some cases with MPOs — to administer vouchers on a regional basis. The convening offered participants an opportunity to learn from one another, and in particular from these more experienced "regional housing mobility program" practitioners. | |
|
Choice Neighborhoods Grantee Training Conference |
22 | $109,910 | The Choice Neighborhoods Grantee Conference offered participants hands-on, interactive training and provided in-depth opportunities through concurrent workshops for grantees to share knowledge and lessons learned with their peers and program experts. The Choice Neighborhoods Grantee Conference furthered the Department's mission and strategic goals by delivering training and technical assistance to Choice Neighborhoods 300 participants grantees and staff. The conference brought together diverse grantee teams comprised of individuals who are playing key roles in the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation and Planning Grants, including representatives from local governments, housing authorities and development partners. |
|
|
2016 AEC and HUD’s Healthy Homes Conference |
17 | $126,771 | OLHCHH determined that HUD's best option for hosting the 2016 National Healthy Homes Conference (NHHC) was to co-sponsor with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) during their 80th Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition. Participants included leaders from federal, state, and local government agencies, and their stakeholders; private sector organi-zations in the housing and health fields; academic institutions; advocacy organizations; and, trade and professional associations to explore and share key environmental, housing, and sustainability issues and their relationship to the health of communities and occupant health across the nation. The knowledge gained and relationships formed at the conference served to pro¬mote expanded housing and health efforts throughout the nation and to enhance the effort to fos¬ter and expand partnerships across governmental and non-governmental entities to create strong, sustainable, safe, healthy communities and homes for all. |
|
| Office of Housing Counseling Staff & Management Meeting and Training Location: Chicago, IL Date: July 11-15, 2016
|
55 | $102,869 | The Office of Housing Counseling (OHC) held a meeting and training session of their headquarters and field staff on July 11-13, 2016, and Management/Leadership meeting and training on July 14-15, 2016, in Chicago, IL. These meetings brought together all OHC staff to discuss significant changes in OHC operations, program requirements, new OHC initiatives, FY 2016 progress, and to align on strategic direction and priorities for FY 17 and FY 18. The managers/supervisors also participated in the July 14-15 Management/Leadership session. These meetings were a crucial management tool for ensuring that the full staff works together to implement major Department initiatives uniformly across the country. As a virtually staffed office, the cost of this event was primarily (94%) for travel to bring the OHC team together for this annual internal meeting and training. OHC administers HUD's Housing Counseling program that strengthens the housing market by providing quality education and information to more than 1 million citizens, annually, to help them make informed choices about their housing and community living needs. OHC works with a network of more than 2,000 HUD-Approved Housing Counseling agencies and 8,000+ counselors that provide direct services to citizens. Agencies in the network also provide housing counseling to seniors participating in the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. Through teamwork and outstanding internal and external collaboration, OHC has worked to implement the Federal Advisory Committee and Housing Counseling Certification, both requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. |
|
|
PIH Office of Field Operations (OFO) 2016 Directors Conference |
61 | $114,710 | The Conference advanced the Office of Field Operations (OFO) work on Departmental and PIH strategic planning and goals and provided an opportunity for PIH/OFO leadership to introduce, implement and better share OFO's Public Housing Authority oversight, monitoring and operational strategy; in continuing to exercise a comprehensive risk based approach; to elaborate on key programs, systems updates, resources, accomplishments/ expectations and to further expansion of the MTW Program, RAD Program as well as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Initiatives. | |
|
4th Annual Ginnie Mae Summit 2016 |
0 | $197,238 | The Ginnie Mae Summit is an influential conference in the mortgage finance industry. The almost 900 attendees included representatives from most of Ginnie Mae's 400+ active issuers, representatives of agencies and organizations that work with Ginnie Mae such as FHFA, U.S. Treasury, FDIC, OCC, VA, RHS; investors in Ginnie Mae MBS, including contingents from Japan, South Korea and China; and leaders and staff from the Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Builders and other Washington DC-based trade organizations. Ginnie Mae leveraged this 2016 conference to: • Fulfill essential elements of its charter which direct Ginnie Mae, as a wholly-owned government corporation, to be visible, to be in the market constantly and to respond appropriately to the private capital market, including "providing ongoing assistance to the secondary market." • Provide assurance to the market, both domestically and globally that allows Ginnie Mae to attract global capital. • Develop an in-depth curriculum that will continue to explore the areas where Ginnie Mae’s business partners experience the most challenges — particularly including the future of servicing and risks posed by non-bank servicers who now issue the vast majority of Ginnie Mae securities. • Deliver training (during plenary sessions and six concurrent breakout sessions) for a majority of Ginnie Mae's 400+ active issuers providing important updates on safety and soundness concerns for issuers and explaining new risk measures that Ginnie Mae has either already implemented or is considering. • Provide a forum for Ginnie Mae and HUD leaders to explain Ginnie Mae’s growing impact in the nation's mortgage finance industry and the credit access upon which consumers depend. Sessions will provide hands-on conversations with issuers, investors and other stakeholders, opening up dialogue intended to examine Ginnie Mae's transformative role in the secondary market and the challenges and opportunities it presents. This two-day event gave our partners critical, in-depth training to navigate potential issues in fulfilling the requirements of our program — particularly newer requirements monitoring risk and ensuring safety and soundness. This was an important forum to explain how and why our regulations and liquidity requirements are changing and in some cases becoming more stringent. |
|
|
National Native Youth Summit |
160 | $329,068 | In support of Generation Indigenous (Gen-I), an initiative focused on removing the barriers that stand between Native youth and their opportunity to succeed, the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) held the National Native Youth Summit (Youth Summit) that brought together Native youth from the six ONAP regions who will later participate in their regional youth camps. The Youth Summit enhanced their understanding of community development opportunities and connected them with leaders and mentors who can guide them on their future educational and career endeavors. These participants have also become Native Youth Ambassadors to their communities implementing a Local Empowerment Activity (LEA), which is similar to a community development project. While attending the Youth Summit, they explored possible projects for improving their communities. They met with Congressional members, and participated in various activities in the Nation's capital. Additionally, they met with Administration officials, Native American leaders, and other notable speakers to provide a foundational understanding of the impact that they are able to make within their communities. |
|
HUD's executive team continues to be personally involved in the review and approval of HUD-sponsored conferences. In October of 2011 HUD implemented M-11-35 and on January 23, 2014 the Deputy Secretary certified that the system of internal controls required by this memorandum was in place.
In each program and administrative office, the Senior Official (Assistant Secretary or equivalent) or the Second-most Senior Official (General Deputy Assistant Secretary (GDAS) or equivalent) authorized any HUD-sponsored conference over $20k. For those HUD-sponsored greater than $100k, these office executives also requested two additional approvals from the Deputy Chief Financial Officer and the Deputy Secretary. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer served as the single channel for both these approvals and reporting.
Conferences are an important component of our mission critical activity. Through these efforts we continue to reduce spending and properly prioritize the limited funding available.
Please visit the conference reporting website of HUD Office of the Inspector General for the conference reporting by HUD OIG.