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U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn got nowhere with previous efforts to reduce what government agencies spend on conferences. This time around, Coburn’s colleagues in Congress like the idea. Credit goes to reports about the General Services Administration spending $823,000 on a training conference in Las Vegas in 2010. With that as the backdrop, senators this week approved an amendment by Coburn, R-Muskogee, that would cap spending on conferences and

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2009 file photo, hotels and casinos are lit up along the strip in Las Vegas. A report detailing an extravagant conference held by federal employees near Las Vegas in October 2010 has set Nevada abuzz. The internal report by the General Services Administration resulted in the termination of two top deputies and the resignation of the little-known agency's top official hours before its release. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)

require that such spending be detailed through quarterly updates on the Internet. Coburn says the government spends at least half a billion dollars a year on conferences, and expects his changes will save taxpayers $65 million per year. Coburn has been pushing this idea for at least four years. Better late than never.

Las Vegas (AP File Photo)