[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 6, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1773-S1774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION 
                       ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 387, S. 1638.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1638) to direct the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security to submit to Congress information on the Department 
     of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation project in 
     the National Capital Region, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with amendments, as follows:
  (The part of the bill intended to be stricken is shown in boldface 
brackets and the part of the bill intended to be inserted is shown in 
italic.)

                                S. 1638

       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 ``Department of Homeland 
     Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 
     2015''.

     SEC. 2. INFORMATION ON DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 
                   HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION PROJECT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with 
     the Administrator, shall submit to the appropriate committees 
     of Congress information on the implementation of the enhanced 
     plan for the Department headquarters consolidation project 
     within the National Capital Region, approved by the Office of 
     Management and Budget and included in the budget of the 
     President for fiscal year 2016 (as submitted to Congress 
     under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code), that 
     includes the following:
       (1) A proposed occupancy plan for the consolidation project 
     that includes specific information about which Department-
     wide operations, component operations, and support offices 
     will be located at the site, the aggregate number of full 
     time equivalent employees projected to occupy the site, the 
     seat-to-staff ratio at the site, and schedule estimates for 
     migrating operations to the site.
       (2) A comprehensive assessment of the difference between 
     the current real property and facilities needed by the 
     Department in the National Capital Region in order to carry 
     out the mission of the Department and the future needs of the 
     Department.
       (3) A current plan for construction of the headquarters 
     consolidation at the St. Elizabeths campus that includes--
       (A) the estimated costs and schedule for the current plan, 
     which shall conform to relevant Federal guidance for cost and 
     schedule estimates, consistent with the recommendation of the 
     Government Accountability Office in the September 2014 report 
     entitled ``Federal Real Property: DHS and GSA Need to 
     Strengthen the Management of DHS Headquarters Consolidation'' 
     (GAO-14-648); and
       (B) any estimated cost savings associated with reducing the 
     scope of the consolidation project and increasing the use of 
     existing capacity developed under the project.
       (4) A current plan for the leased portfolio of the 
     Department in the National Capital Region that includes--
       (A) an end-state vision that identifies which Department-
     wide operations, component operations, and support offices do 
     not migrate to the St. Elizabeths campus and continue to 
     operate at a property in the leased portfolio;
       (B) for each year until the consolidation project is 
     completed, the number of full-time equivalent employees who 
     are expected to operate at each property, component, or 
     office;
       (C) the anticipated total rentable square feet leased per 
     year during the period beginning on the date of enactment of 
     this Act and ending on the date on which the consolidation 
     project is completed; and
       (D) timing and anticipated lease terms for leased space 
     under the plan referred to in paragraph (3).
       (5) An analysis that identifies the costs and benefits of 
     leasing and construction alternatives for the remainder of 
     the consolidation project that includes--
       (A) a comparison of the long-term cost that would result 
     from leasing as compared to consolidating functions on 
     Government-owned space; and
       (B) the identification of any cost impacts in terms of 
     premiums for short-term lease extensions or holdovers due to 
     the uncertainty of funding for, or delays in, completing 
     construction required for the consolidation.
       (b) Comptroller General Review.--
       (1) Review required.--The Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall review the cost and schedule estimates submitted 
     under subsection (a) to evaluate the quality and reliability 
     of the estimates.
       (2) Assessment.--Not later than 90 days after the submittal 
     of the cost and schedule estimates under subsection (a), the 
     Comptroller General shall report to the appropriate 
     [congressional] committees of Congress on the results of the 
     review required under paragraph (1).
       (c) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) The term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
     General Services.
       (2) The term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means 
     the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
       (3) The term ``Department'' means the Department of 
     Homeland Security.
       (4) The term ``National Capital Region'' has the meaning 
     given the term under section 2674(f)(2) of title 10, United 
     States Code.
       (5) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security.
  Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
amendments be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and 
passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table.

[[Page S1774]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendments were agreed to.
  The bill (S. 1638), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

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