[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 95 (Monday, June 15, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S4168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            FEDERAL VEHICLE REPAIR COST SAVINGS ACT OF 2015

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 101, S. 565.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 565) to reduce the operation and maintenance 
     costs associated with the Federal fleet by encouraging the 
     use of remanufactured parts, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third 
time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 565) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 565

       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 ``Federal Vehicle Repair Cost 
     Savings Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that, in March 2013, the Government 
     Accountability Office issued a report that confirmed that--
       (1) there are approximately 588,000 vehicles in the 
     civilian Federal fleet;
       (2) Federal agencies spent approximately $975,000,000 on 
     repair and maintenance of the Federal fleet in 2011;
       (3) remanufactured vehicle components, such as engines, 
     starters, alternators, steering racks, and clutches, tend to 
     be less expensive than comparable new replacement parts; and
       (4) the United States Postal Service and the Department of 
     the Interior both informed the Government Accountability 
     Office that the respective agencies rely on the use of 
     remanufactured vehicle components to reduce costs.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act--
       (1) the term ``Federal agency'' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 102 of title 40, United States Code; and
       (2) the term ``remanufactured vehicle component'' means a 
     vehicle component (including an engine, transmission, 
     alternator, starter, turbocharger, steering, or suspension 
     component) that has been returned to same-as-new, or better, 
     condition and performance by a standardized industrial 
     process that incorporates technical specifications (including 
     engineering, quality, and testing standards) to yield fully 
     warranted products.

     SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO USE REMANUFACTURED VEHICLE COMPONENTS.

       The head of each Federal agency--
       (1) shall encourage the use of remanufactured vehicle 
     components to maintain Federal vehicles, if using such 
     components reduces the cost of maintaining the Federal 
     vehicles while maintaining quality; and
       (2) shall not encourage the use of remanufactured vehicle 
     components to maintain Federal vehicles, if using such 
     components--
       (A) does not reduce the cost of maintaining Federal 
     vehicles;
       (B) lowers the quality of vehicle performance, as 
     determined by the employee of the Federal agency responsible 
     for the repair decision; or
       (C) delays the return to service of a vehicle.

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