[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.
____________________