[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 121 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H6972-H6973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1700
           GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION MODERNIZATION ACT

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and concur in the Senate amendments to bill (H.R. 2066) to amend title 
40, United States Code, to establish a Federal Acquisition Service, to 
replace the General Supply Fund and the Information Technology Fund 
with an Acquisition Services Fund, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Senate amendments:
       Page 2, line 25, strike out ``up to five''

       Page 10, line 7, strike out ``or'' and all that follows 
     through the end of line 9, and insert:
       ``(B) the exceptional difficulty in recruiting or retaining 
     a qualified employee, or
       ``(C) a temporary emergency hiring need,

       Page 10, line 20, strike out ``December 31, 2011.'' and 
     insert: ``December 31, 2011.''.

       Page 10, strike out line 21 and all that follows through 
     page 13, line 8, and insert the following new section and 
     renumber subsequent section:

     SEC. 5. DISPOSAL OF FEDERAL SURPLUS PROPERTY TO HISTORIC 
                   LIGHT STATIONS.

       Section 549(c)(3)(B) of title 40, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in clause (vii), by striking ``or'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in clause (viii), by striking the period and inserting 
     ``; or''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(ix) a historic light station as defined under section 
     308(e)(2) of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 
     U.S.C. 470w-7(e)(2)), including a historic light station 
     conveyed under subsection (b) of that section, 
     notwithstanding the number of hours that the historic light 
     station is open to the public.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van 
Hollen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2066, the General 
Services Administration Modernization Act, which was introduced by 
Armed Services Committee Chairman Hunter and myself last year. This 
legislation passed the House last May and was recently passed by the 
Senate with a handful of modifications which we are here today to 
accept in order to send the legislation to the President's desk for 
signature.
  This important legislation would authorize a much-needed 
reorganization and streamlining of the General Services Administration, 
the Federal agency that is charged with leveraging the Federal 
Government's buying power to purchase commercial goods and services in 
a manner that maximizes taxpayer dollars.
  Each year, GSA buys products and services from the private sector 
worth well over $30 billion and resells them to Federal agencies 
through two different services. The Federal Technology Service, or FTS, 
uses the Information Technology Fund purchase information technology; 
and the Federal Supply Service, the FSS, uses the General Supply Fund 
to purchase commercial goods and services.
  This bifurcated system may have made sense when the IT fund was 
created two decades ago when information technology was in its infancy. 
Today, however, laptop computers, cell phones and e-mail are as 
ubiquitous as desks and phones. The business case, for separate systems 
to handle IT goods and services, no longer exists. In fact, the 
bifurcated system has become a barrier to coordinated acquisition of 
management services and the technology needed to support a total 
solution.
  H.R. 2066 would amend GSA's organic stature by enacting structural 
reform to GSA's current organization in order to consolidate the 
Federal Supply Service and the Federal Technology Service into a single 
entity operating out of a unified fund, providing Federal agencies with 
a one-stop shop to acquire all of their commercial goods and services. 
This change in statute would provide GSA with the structure it needs to 
bring it in line with the current commercial marketplace.
  The environment in which the Federal Government purchases goods and 
services has changed dramatically in recent years. H.R. 2066 would 
remove the old structures that inhibit efficient Federal purchases and 
solutions that are a mix of products, services and technology. The 
Federal marketplace should reflect the best of the commercial 
marketplace, both in the products and service we buy and the way that 
we buy them.
  I would urge my colleagues to accept these amendments and support 
H.R. 2066.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The chairman of the committee, the Government Reform committee, Mr. 
Davis, has covered the bill well. I commend him for his work on this 
piece of legislation.
  I would only add to his description of the bill that it also contains 
provisions that would give civilian agencies additional tools to 
maintain their acquisition workforces by allowing agencies

[[Page H6973]]

to reemploy retirees under certain circumstances. I think it is 
important that we look for ways in the Federal Government to continue 
to use the expertise of those who have been in the Federal Government.
  The Senate amendments to the bill provide additional protections to 
make sure that authority is used wisely with respect to rehiring of 
retirees, but I commend the chairman of the committee for his work on 
this bill and urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Let me thank my colleague from Maryland 
for his assistance on this and so many other things that the committee 
works on. I would urge all members to support the passage of H.R. 2066.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) that the House suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 2066.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendments were 
concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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