[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 141 (Monday, September 19, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1289-E1290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE FOR H.R. 4487

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 19, 2016

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, in accordance with House Report 114-589, 
Part 1, I submit the following Congressional Budget Cost Estimate for 
H.R. 4487.
                                      Congressional Budget Office,


                                                U.S. Congress,

                                     Washington, DC, July 5, 2016.
     Hon. Bill Shuster,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4487, the Public 
     Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
     Pickford.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Keith Hall.
       Enclosure.
     H.R. 4487--Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016
       H.R. 4487 would amend federal law to provide new 
     authorities to the General Services Administration (GSA) and 
     the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective 
     Service (FPS) to manage federal real estate assets and 
     security at those facilities. The act also would require GSA 
     to prepare a number of reports for the Congress and the 
     Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete an audit 
     of GSA's national broker contract. Finally, the legislation 
     would require that lactation rooms be available in all 
     federal buildings that are open to the public.
       Based on information from GSA and the FPS, CBO estimates 
     that implementing H.R. 4487 would cost $3 million over the 
     2017-2021 period, mostly for GSA to prepare reports on a 
     variety of subjects, including a comparison of the cost of 
     owning or leasing space, an explanation of why the costs of 
     construction projects exceed their initial estimates, a 
     review of current rental rates, and an analysis of the use of 
     refrigerants in equipment installed in federal buildings. CBO 
     also estimates that it would cost GAO less than $500,000 
     annually to prepare the required audit. Based on information 
     from GSA, CBO estimates that the act's requirements to 
     establish lactation rooms in federal buildings would have an 
     insignificant cost because it would apply only to federal 
     buildings that are open to the public and that have lactation 
     rooms designated for use by federal employees. Finally, CBO 
     estimates that providing the FPS with additional law 
     enforcement authorities would not have a significant cost.
       Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending 
     or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not 
     apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4487 would not 
     increase direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the 
     four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
       CBO also reviewed provisions of the legislation that would 
     require GSA to build a new headquarters for the Department of 
     Energy (DOE), to be financed by exchanging or selling DOE's 
     current headquarters in the Forrestal Building Complex in 
     Washington, D.C. Based on information from GSA and property 
     developers, CBO expects that constructing a new DOE 
     headquarters could not be accomplished solely through a sale 
     or exchange of the current facility, and would require the 
     expenditure of additional appropriated funds, which are not 
     authorized by this act. Under H.R. 4487, if a new 
     headquarters facility could not be built, GSA would be 
     directed to sell any underutilized or vacant property in the 
     Forrestal Complex. Based on information from GSA, CBO does 
     not expect that enacting the bill would result in more sales 
     than would otherwise occur under current law.
       H.R. 4487 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
     mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
     would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
     governments.
       The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
     Pickford. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
     Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

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