[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5001 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.5001
One Hundred Tenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eight
An Act
To authorize the Administrator of General Services to provide for the
redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building located in the District of
Columbia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Old Post Office Building
Redevelopment Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. OLD POST OFFICE BUILDING DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``Old Post Office Building'' means the land,
including any improvements thereon and specifically including the
Pavilion Annex, that is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., in
the District of Columbia, and under the jurisdiction, custody, and
control of the General Services Administration.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) For almost a decade the Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives has expressed considerable concern about the waste
and neglect of the valuable, historic Old Post Office Building,
centrally located in the heart of the Nation's Capital on
Pennsylvania Avenue, and has pressed the General Services
Administration to develop and fully use this building.
(2) The policy of the Government long has been to preserve and
make usable historic properties rather than sell them for revenue.
(3) Security concerns related to this property's proximity to
the White House may hinder the sale of the Old Post Office Building
to a private party.
(4) On December 28, 2000, the General Services Administration,
pursuant to Public Law 105-277, submitted to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives
and the Committees on Appropriations and Environment and Public
Works of the Senate a plan for the comprehensive redevelopment of
the Old Post Office.
(5) The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved
the redevelopment plan on May 16, 2001, and the Committees on
Appropriations and Environment and Public Works approved the plan
on June 15, 2001.
(6) The General Services Administration issued a Request for
Expression of Interest in 2004 for developing the Old Post Office
Building that generated a healthy, private sector interest, but the
General Services Administration has failed to proceed with
implementation of the approved redevelopment plan.
(7) Redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building will preserve
the historic integrity of this unique and important asset, put it
to its highest and best use, and provide a lucrative financial
return to the Government.
SEC. 4. REDEVELOPMENT OF OLD POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of General Services is directed
to proceed with redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building, in
accordance with existing authorities available to the Administrator and
consistent with the redevelopment plan previously approved by the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Environment
and Public Works of the Senate.
(b) Relocation of Existing Building Tenants.--The Administrator is
authorized, notwithstanding section 3307 of title 40, United States
Code, and otherwise in accordance with existing authorities available
to the Administrator, to provide replacement space for Federal agency
tenants housed in the Old Post Office Building whose relocation is
necessary for redevelopment of the Building.
SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of General Services shall
transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of the Senate a report on any proposed redevelopment agreement
related to the Old Post Office Building.
(b) Contents.--A report transmitted under this section shall
include a summary of a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed
development agreement and a description of the material provisions of
the proposed agreement.
(c) Review by Congress.--Any proposed development agreement related
to the Old Post Office Building may not become effective until the end
of a 30-day period of continuous session of Congress following the date
of the transmittal of the report required under this section. For
purposes of the preceding sentence, continuity of a session of Congress
is broken only by an adjournment sine die, and there shall be excluded
from the computation of such 30-day period any day during which either
House of Congress is not in session during an adjournment of more than
3 days to a day certain.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.