[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 59 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1770-H1772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION 
                       ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015

  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the 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.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                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

[[Page H1771]]

     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 
     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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) and the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. 
Watson Coleman) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. 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 materials on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from South Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1638.
  Mr. Speaker, since construction began in 2006, the Department of 
Homeland Security's consolidated headquarters on St. Elizabeth's 
historic Washington, D.C. campus has been riddled with cost overruns 
and construction delays, at times estimated to be more than $1 billion 
over budget and 12 years behind schedule.
  As the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Management Efficiency, I conducted rigorous oversight of the project, 
including holding a hearing in September 2014. Having visited the site, 
I saw firsthand the immense challenges that lie ahead. While we are 
encouraged by the recently updated DHS St. Elizabeth's plan, we still 
believe that increased oversight of the consolidation project will help 
ensure accountability and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, 
especially considering this project was fully funded through the fiscal 
year 2016 appropriations, and DHS alone has requested $225 million for 
fiscal year 2017.
  This bill that we are talking about today, the Department of Homeland 
Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act, a companion to 
H.R. 1640, which was passed by the House unanimously in June of last 
year and of which I was a cosponsor, will require the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, in coordination with the administrator of General 
Services, to submit a report on the implementation of the updated plan 
for the headquarters consolidation, including estimated costs and 
occupancy plans of the project. With a project of this magnitude, 
improved oversight and increased transparency is paramount.
  Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson once said that an educated citizenry is 
``the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.'' Our 
constituents expect their representatives to hold government 
accountable. S. 1638 does just that.
  I wish to thank Senators Johnson and Carper for their hard work 
passing this bill through the Senate. I urge all Members to join me in 
supporting this important bipartisan legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of S. 1638, the Department of Homeland Security 
Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015.
  Mr. Speaker, since the 2006 decision to establish the Department of 
Homeland Security's headquarters at the former site of St. Elizabeth's 
Hospital in Washington, the project has experienced significant 
shortfalls in cost and schedule performance.
  The Government Accountability Office reported that between the start 
of construction at St. Elizabeth's in fiscal year 2009 through the 
fiscal year 2014 appropriation, the project received $1.6 billion less 
than the funding amendments requested over this period. The impact of 
this funding gap is far-reaching. In fact, GAO has found this gap 
resulted in cost escalations exceeding $1 billion and schedule delays 
exceeding 10 years for the project.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate bill we consider today is the companion to 
H.R. 1640, a bill that the House approved by voice vote last June.
  S. 1638 directs DHS and GSA to provide information to Congress within 
120 days of enactment of this bill to establish that the data has been 
collected and analyzed to support the current direction for this high-
profile investment.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, S. 1638 specifies that the information 
provided to Congress by DHS and GSA include updated cost and schedule 
estimates for the project.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, S. 1638 directs GAO to report to Congress on 
the quality and reliability of these estimates, not later than 90 days 
after they have been submitted to Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, DHS headquarters operations currently are dispersed 
around the national capital region, in facilities that, in many cases, 
are inadequate--as is the case with the Nebraska Avenue Complex.
  To support the government's effective stewardship of public resources 
and to deliver a headquarters that DHS desperately needs, I would urge 
my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  S. 1638 is virtually identical to the House-passed legislation that 
my subcommittee advanced last year.
  The bill's provisions acknowledge the need for GSA to be engaged at a 
high level, as the construction manager for the Department's 
headquarters consolidation project, and to help DHS develop realistic 
and achievable outcomes.
  I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that up to 69 percent of 
the Department's commercial leases in the national capital region are 
slated to expire between fiscal years 2016 and 2020. As such, the 
Department will be forced to engage in the expensive process of 
recompeting and possibly relocating its operation and personnel.
  It would behoove the Department and the GSA to move more of DHS' 
headquarters activities to St. Elizabeth's as soon as possible and, 
thus, avoid the costs associated with executing additional leasing in 
the expensive D.C. market.
  Mr. Speaker, I do again urge the adoption of S. 1638.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  I, once again, urge my colleagues to support S. 1638.
  I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for her words of support. 
This is the right thing to do--being good stewards of taxpayer dollars 
and fulfilling our oversight role.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland 
Security Committee, I rise in strong support of S. 1638, the 
``Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation 
Accountability Act.''
  I support this bipartisan legislation because it would move DHS 
forward in accomplishing the important objective of establishing a home 
for the Department's many components and agencies.
  Eleven days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of 
the Office of Homeland Security in the White House.

[[Page H1772]]

  In November 2002, I was proud to join my colleagues in voting to 
create a Department of Homeland Security.
  On March 1, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security official became 
a Cabinet-level department charged with the responsibility of unifying 
national homeland security efforts.
  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created through the 
integration of all or part of 22 different Federal departments and 
agencies into a unified, integrated Department.
  S. 1638, directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in 
coordination with the General Services Administration (GSA), to submit 
information on the implementation of the enhanced plan for the DHS 
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 FY2016, that includes:
  a proposed occupancy plan with specific information about which DHS-
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;
  a comprehensive assessment of the difference between the current real 
property and facilities needed by DHS in the Region to carry out its 
mission and its future needs;
  an analysis of the difference between the current and needed capital 
assets and facilities of DHS;
  a current plan for construction of the headquarters consolidation at 
the St. Elizabeths campus that includes the estimated costs and 
schedule for the current plan and any estimated cost savings associated 
with reducing the scope of the project and increasing the use of 
existing capacity developed under the project;
  An important goal of S. 1638, is an evaluation of the current plan to 
determine the leased portfolio of DHS throughout the Region that 
includes an end-state vision that identifies which DHS-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.
  The bill will result in real numbers regarding the total compliment 
of full-time equivalent employees who are expected to operate at each 
property, component, or office for each year until the consolidation 
project is completed.
  S. 1638, identifies the costs and benefits of leasing and 
construction alternatives for the remainder of the consolidation 
project, including a comparison of the long-term cost that would result 
from leasing to the cost of consolidating functions on government-owned 
space and 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.
  Mr. Speaker, since DHS initiated its headquarters consolidation in 
2006, it has progressed despite changes in senior leadership and waning 
funding support from Congress.
  As a result, in April 2015, DHS and GSA announced that the 
construction sequence and timetable for the headquarters consolidation 
would be adjusted to reflect reduced funding by Congress.
  DHS must now re-compete up to 69 percent of its commercial leases in 
the National Capital Region as they are scheduled to expire between 
2016 and 2020.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in strong support of the 
suspension bill, S. 1638, the ``Department of Homeland Security 
Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, S. 1638.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________