[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL SURPLUS PROPERTY

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2461) to amend the Federal Property and Administrative 
Services Act of 1949 to authorize the transfer to States of surplus 
personal property for donation to nonprofit providers of necessaries to 
impoverished families and individuals.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2461

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. TRANSFER OF SURPLUS PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR DONATION 
                   TO PROVIDERS OF NECESSARIES TO IMPOVERISHED 
                   FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

       Section 203(j)(3)(B) of the Federal Property and 
     Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 484(j)(3)(B)) 
     is amended by inserting after ``homeless individuals'' the 
     following: ``, providers of assistance to families or 
     individuals whose annual incomes are below the poverty line 
     (as that term is defined in section 673 of the Community 
     Services Block Grant Act),''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan [Mr. Conyers] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from California [Mr. McCandless] will be recognized for 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers].


                             General leave

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 
2461.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. CONYERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of H.R. 2461 is to widen the 
current availability of Federal surplus personal property, that is, 
supplies and equipment, for donation to nonprofit, tax-exempt 
organizations that serve the poor.
  In 1976, Congress enacted legislation, Public Law 94-519, that gave a 
broad charter to the General Services Administration to transfer 
surplus personal property to States so that it could be donated for 
public purposes. Each State was required to establish a State surplus 
property agency to serve as the central collection and distribution 
point for eligible recipients, namely, public bodies and certain 
nonprofit, tax exempt organizations like schools and hospitals.
  Through this Federal-State partnership, the program in fiscal year 
1993 resulted in donations to eligible recipients of property that 
originally cost the Government $654 million. So far in fiscal year 
1994, the figures are running at a similar level. The property includes 
items like tools, office machines and supplies, furniture, appliances, 
medical supplies, clothing, construction equipment, communications 
equipment, vehicles, and airplanes.
  The author of H.R. 2461, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton] 
has rightly called attention to a significant gap in the ability of the 
present donation program to help providers of assistance to the poor. 
Providers for the homeless were added in 1988. But now seeing to enter 
the program are providers of food and of other services to needy 
families and individuals who may not be homeless. Organizations like 
Habitat for Humanity and local food banks help to alleviate such needs. 
H.R. 2461 would make nonprofit organizations serving these purposes 
eligible for surplus property under the Federal donation program. The 
new eligibles, of course, would not enjoy a preference over any other 
group of eligibles.
  H.R. 2461, therefore, merely adds to the donation program one more 
category of eligible nonprofit organizations, those that provide 
assistance to families or individuals whose annual incomes are below 
the poverty line as defined in the Community Services Block Grant. The 
pertinent income levels are calculated by the Census Bureau and are 
available in the current edition of the ``Statistical Abstract of the 
United States.''
  Mr. Speaker, the General Services Administration, which administers 
this program, has advised the Government Operations Committee that it 
has no objection to the bill. Also, the president of the National 
Association of State Agencies for Surplus Property, which represents 
all of the State surplus property agencies, has informed the committee 
that his organization has no objection to the bill. In fact, no 
objection from any source has been heard.
  The added authority of H.R. 2461 would be broad enough, GSA advises, 
to cover the intended beneficiaries of a related bill, H.R. 4392, by 
the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. McCurdy]. That bill would authorize 
the distribution of Federal surplus property to nonprofit organizations 
providing assistance to the hungry and the indigent.
  The Congressional Budget Office has advised the committee that the 
bill is not expected to affect the Federal budget.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 2461.

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCANDLESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the ranking Republican on the Government Operations 
Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security, I am pleased to 
provide my support to H.R. 2461. H.R. 2461 is a bill that will allow 
organizations, such as the Habitat for Humanity, food banks and 
organizations that recycle building materials for the poor, to qualify 
as donee organizations for surplus Federal property under the Federal 
Property and Administrative Services Act.
  Office supplies, desks, chairs, and other surplus furniture, are 
examples of the types of personal property that would be involved. 
Currently, only nonprofit educational or public health institutions, or 
homeless providers qualify as donee's for this type of surplus 
property. However, organizations such as the Habitat for Humanity and 
food banks do not qualify.
  H.R. 2461 would allow these organizations that assist people whose 
income is below the poverty line to qualify as donee's for personal 
property the Federal Government no longer needs. These organizations 
provide valuable assistance to needy individuals. This bill would help 
these organizations to continue their worthwhile service.
  We would take advantage of this opportunity to recycle Government 
property that might otherwise either collect dust or be thrown away. 
H.R. 2461 is legislation that makes abundant economic and humanitarian 
good sense. I commend my distinguished colleague from Indiana [Mr. 
Hamilton] for crafting such a sensible, bipartisan bill.
  Accordingly, I urge all of my colleagues to give H.R. 2461 strong 
bipartisan support--it is a bill that helps eliminate waste while 
helping those in need.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support 
for H.R. 2461, a bill I introduced that would amend the Federal 
Property Act to make certain nonprofit organizations that help the 
needy--such as Habitat for Humanity and food banks--eligible for 
Federal surplus property. Under current law, these organizations are 
not eligible.
  I want to thank Chairman Conyers and the members of the House 
Committee on Government Operations for reporting this bill to the House 
floor. I greatly appreciate their cooperation and support in moving 
this bill forward.
  The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act authorizes GSA 
to dispose of surplus Federal property. Surplus property is property 
not needed by any Federal agency; it may be made available by GSA to 
State or local governments or nonprofit agencies and may be transferred 
without cost for specified public purposes, including education, 
recreation, economic development, health care, services for homeless 
people, or prisons.
  However, under current law, surplus property cannot be made available 
to certain nonprofit organizations. Habitat for Humanity and food 
banks, for example, do provide services to the homeless, but this is 
not their exclusive mission. They also provide services to needy 
individuals who are not homeless, and, consequently, are ineligible for 
surplus property.
  Making Federal surplus property available to these organizations 
would greatly assist them in aiding the poor in Indiana and around the 
country. It would help the food banks that provide food to shelters, 
soup kitchens, and food pantries; groups that recycle building 
materials for use in the repair of housing for the poor; and other 
organizations that repair and build homes for low-income families.
  H.R. 2461 would amend current law to make such organizations eligible 
for the Federal Surplus Program. The proposed change in law would not 
give these organizations preference, but just make them one of many 
eligible nonprofit entities. H.R. 2461 is not controversial. GSA has 
not raised any objections to this proposal.
  Federal, State, and local governments have been looking to nonprofits 
to assume more responsibility for providing needed services to the 
poor, particularly in an era of declining budgets. H.R. 2461 will help 
nonprofits provide those services more effectively by granting them 
access to Federal surplus property.
  I think this promises to be a worthwhile use of Federal surplus 
resources. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2461.
  Mr. McCANDLESS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bilbray). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2461.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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