[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7011-H7012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1600
               FEDERAL AGENCY MAIL MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2016

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6009) to ensure the effective processing of mail by Federal 
agencies, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6009

       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 Agency Mail 
     Management Act of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. RECORD MANAGEMENT.

       (a) Amendments.--Section 9 of the Presidential and Federal 
     Records Act Amendments of 2014 (44 U.S.C. 101 note) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
     follows:
       ``(3) in paragraph (7), by striking `the Administrator or 
     the Archivist' and inserting `the Archivist or the 
     Administrator'.'';
       (2) in subsection (c)--
       (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
       ``(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
       `` `(a) The Archivist shall provide guidance and assistance 
     to Federal agencies with respect to ensuring--
       `` `(1) economical and effective records management;
       `` `(2) adequate and proper documentation of the policies 
     and transactions of the Federal Government; and
       `` `(3) proper records disposition.';
       (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
     (3) and (4), respectively;
       (C) by inserting after paragraph (1), the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(2) in subsection (b), by striking `effective records 
     management by such agencies' and inserting `effective 
     processing of mail by Federal agencies';'';
       (D) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated--
       (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking `` `subsections 
     (a) and (b)' '' and inserting `` `subsection (a)' ''; and

[[Page H7012]]

       (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (E) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, by striking the 
     period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
       (F) by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(5) by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
       `` `(e) The Administrator, in carrying out subsection (b), 
     shall have the responsibility to promote economy and 
     efficiency in the selection and utilization of space, staff, 
     equipment, and supplies for processing mail at Federal 
     facilities.'.
       (3) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``; and'' at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(3) by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
       `` `(c) The Administrator (or the Administrator's designee) 
     may inspect the mail processing practices and programs of any 
     Federal agency for the purpose of rendering recommendations 
     for the improvement of mail processing practices and 
     programs. Officers and employees of such agencies shall 
     cooperate fully in such inspections of mail processing 
     practices and programs.'.
       (4) by striking subsection (f); and
       (5) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect as if included in the Presidential and 
     Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014 (Public Law 113-187).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 6009, the Federal Agency Mail Management 
Act of 2016, introduced by my colleague on the Oversight and Government 
Reform Committee, Representative Steve Russell of Oklahoma.
  This legislation is intended to make a bipartisan technical 
correction to the Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 
2014, enacted as Public Law 113-187.
  Among the provisions of that bipartisan law was language designed to 
eliminate outdated references to the General Services Administration, 
or GSA, relating to records management. These changes updated outdated 
references from a time period when the National Archives was a part of 
the GSA. Since the National Archives became independent in 1984, these 
housekeeping changes were long overdue. However, after the bill was 
enacted, the GSA and the Archives realized that the GSA had relied upon 
the now altered provisions for its oversight and management authority 
for Federal agency mail processing and management, which is a function 
that had not previously been transferred to the Archives. It was never 
the intent of the Congress to transfer this function.
  The Archives and the GSA have been working closely together to ensure 
the law is being appropriately followed, but both agencies support 
clarification that this responsibility is properly the GSA's. This 
legislation provides that exact clarification. Specifically, the bill 
makes technical corrections to the 2014 law to carve out the 
responsibility for mailroom management from records management to 
ensure that the former is properly the GSA's duty and that the latter 
is the Archives'.
  I believe this is a commonsense, good-government bill, and I am 
pleased to see that my colleague Representative Gerald Connolly is a 
cosponsor. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I hope it 
will move quickly through the legislative process so that we can 
properly resolve any lingering uncertainty that has been created 
regarding Federal mail management.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I support this bipartisan bill, which simply makes a technical 
correction to clarify that the Administrator of the General Services 
Administration is responsible for managing mail in the executive 
branch.
  The Administrator of the GSA has historically had this 
responsibility. When the Federal Records Act was updated in 2014, 
changes made to the statute made it unclear whether the Administrator's 
role had changed. This bill makes clear that Congress never intended to 
take away the GSA Administrator's authority to manage the executive 
mail.
  In closing, I would like to especially thank Representative Steve 
Russell from Oklahoma and Representative Gerry Connolly from Virginia 
for their excellent work that they put into this legislation, and I 
hope that the Senate will take it up before the end of this Congress.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6009.
  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.

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