Vegas Odds

There has been some debate lately in Washington over the cost of sending federal employees to conferences in places with glitzy reputations, such as Las Vegas. After all, should federal workers fly to typically expensive cities on the government dime during a recession?

The answer is not that black and white, especially considering the annual federal per diem rates the General Services Administration publishes every October. According to GSA, the maximum per diem rates for Las Vegas in fiscal 2009 range from $169 to $190, while the maximum rate for Chicago is between $221 and $282. Chicago is reportedly among the cities that agencies are considering for conferences as an alternative to vacation destinations like Las Vegas.

Sure, Sin City has cultivated an image of extravagance over the years, but it also has decades of experience handling conferences of all sizes and is an area geared to tourism. That ensures it has enough competition to accommodate any budget, according to some travel experts.

"Las Vegas is one of the best-priced meeting facilities' towns in the United States," said Jack Riepe, a spokesman for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives.

Riepe noted that many of the organization's members have said they would avoid a destination like Las Vegas now, solely to steer clear of any negative media coverage associated with the city's "fun" reputation -- even if it means spending more money on an alternate location.

Traveling to Chicago or Denver for a conference might save the government in airfare costs compared to a Las Vegas trip, but that's not necessarily the case with other cities. For instance, GSA's CityPairs database shows that the maximum rate for a trip from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri could cost as much as $584, compared with $269 for a similar trip to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Airfare to Milwaukee, Detroit and Phoenix also can be more expensive than a flight to Las Vegas.

Uncle Sam isn't the only one under scrutiny these days for employee travel costs.

Earlier this year, private companies that received federal money as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program faced a backlash over travel to resorts. In response, the U.S. Travel Association and the National Business Travel Association developed model policies for its members, including limits on how much to spend on such conferences relative to a company's marketing budget and employee compensation.

"Meetings are where people convene, where they learn from their colleagues, increase their productivity, develop strategies," said Geoff Freeman, senior vice president of the U.S. Travel Association, claiming that the debate over specific locales can be confusing to businesses, and obscure the benefits of meeting and talking with others at a conference.

But taxpayer watchdog groups aren't letting up on the issue.

"No one is saying, forever and ever, you can't do this," said Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste. "Is it necessary, this year? … If they can do this training in a more efficient way, they should do it."

Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff for President Obama, stressed in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., that the White House wants agencies to take a hard look at taxpayer-funded travel, and ensure that the benefits justify the price. The administration, however, does not want them to avoid specific states, sites or resorts. Reid, defending his tourism-reliant state, on Monday sent a letter to agency heads asking them to reverse any policies discriminating against particular cities as conference destinations.