[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 43 (Monday, March 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1069-H1070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PUBLIC BUILDINGS ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2023

  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6254) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States 
to conduct a review on the Public Buildings Service, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6254

       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 ``Public Buildings 
     Accountability Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS SERVICE.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
     conduct a review of the Public Buildings Service and submit 
     to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works of the Senate a report containing the results of 
     such review, including--
       (1) a review of the administration and management of all 
     Public Buildings Service real estate programs and activities, 
     including--
       (A) a review and accounting of the number of employees and 
     contract workers, including functions and the sources of 
     funding (for example building operations, reimbursable work, 
     project-specific funding) categorized by region and 
     organizational, management, and oversight structure within 
     the Public Building Service, including identification of 
     components, programs, and reporting structures;
       (B) an accounting of in-person attendance by employee 
     category and function;
       (C) an analysis, trends, and comparisons of staffing 
     numbers and associated costs and other administrative costs 
     over the 10 years preceding the review; and
       (D) an analysis of the effectiveness of organizational 
     structure, management, and oversight in carrying out the 
     mission of the Public Buildings Service; and
       (2) a review of the building operations account of the 
     Federal Buildings Fund established by section 592 of title 
     40, United States Code, including activities and costs 
     associated with conferences, training, and travel and 
     transportation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 6254.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 6254 directs the Government Accountability Office 
to review the General Services Administration's Public Building Service 
personnel structure, including staffing trends, work locations, and 
organizational structure.
  GSA's Public Building Service administrative budget, including 
staffing, is paid for out of the Federal Buildings Fund. Because it is 
buried in a larger fund, it is difficult to track and evaluate the 
Public Buildings Service workforce and its management to conduct 
appropriate oversight.
  This bill would seek to address that issue, increasing transparency 
and, ultimately, greater oversight.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden) 
for introducing H.R. 6254, the Public Buildings Accountability Act of 
2023, and for his leadership on this important issue.
  Madam Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this Public Buildings 
Accountability Act of 2023, H.R. 6254, which directs the GAO to review 
the administration and management of GSA's real estate programs, 
activities, funding, and staffing.
  Information and data are essential for Congress to conduct proper 
oversight of the agencies under its jurisdiction. Having GAO do an 
independent analysis of the efficacy of the GSA's operations will help 
the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee better evaluate GSA 
authorization requests.
  However, GAO must work with the Department of Homeland Security's 
Interagency Security Committee to ensure that security concerns for the 
employees and buildings are addressed.

[[Page H1070]]

  


                              {time}  1600

  I recommend that GAO, as they are drafting the parameters of the 
study, ensure that information that could impact the security of 
Federal employees and Federal facilities is protected.
  Madam Speaker, I support the legislation, I urge my colleagues to do 
the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden), to speak on his bill.
  Mr. VAN ORDEN. Madam Speaker, the work-from-home standard for Federal 
employees which the Biden administration has empowered has enabled an 
already overcompensated Federal bureaucracy to continue to not show up 
for work and leave the taxpayers on the hook for empty, unused Federal 
office space across the country.
  Back in July, I asked the Commissioner of the Public Buildings 
Services a simple question during a roundtable: How many of your 
employees are actually at work today?
  She was incapable of answering that.
  Three months later I asked her exactly the same question during a 
committee hearing chaired by Mr. Perry, and she was still incapable of 
answering that question.
  Their truancy has led to possibly the worst customer service of any 
Federal agency, and that is an incredibly low standard to fail to meet.
  From my own personal experience, it took over a month to get a single 
phone line in my public building as a Member of Congress, and we wound 
up moving my office out of the public space because of their inability 
to perform customer service functions. I had the luxury of doing that 
as a Member of Congress. Other members of the United States Government 
do not have that same luxury.
  This is just not that hard. As an Active Duty Navy SEAL, I managed 
military maneuvers on three continents simultaneously. I could tell 
you, Madam Speaker, within a 10-meter square where each one of those 
individuals was 24 hours a day. So this simply is not that difficult to 
do.
  I am incredibly proud and pleased that this committee is focusing on 
legislation to help ensure that Federal agencies are using the office 
space they are assigned and selling the space they are not, saving 
taxpayer dollars.
  The GSA currently manages over 370 million square feet of owned and 
leased assets, and yet they have no idea how much of this space is 
truly occupied. Approximately 75 percent of building space in 
Washington, D.C., is not occupied, but, unfortunately, we can't 
actually get a square footage from the GSA.
  I introduced the Public Buildings Accountability Act of 2023 to 
enforce transparency and accountability within the public buildings 
service to do just that.
  H.R. 6254 will shed light on the effectiveness of the Public 
Buildings Service staffing structure and funding within the GSA by 
providing information to enhance the committee's ongoing oversight work 
to maximize the return of Federal employees to in-person work.
  These reports will provide greater clarity to PBS' funding needs and 
ensure the responsible use of hardworking taxpayers' dollars
  Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Perry very much for his patience in 
getting this through and for our counterparts on the other side of the 
aisle for participating in this incredibly important legislation.
  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I am 
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. PERRY. I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. COHEN. Do you think this could be expanded in some way to show 
the effects of the Capitals and the Wizards moving to Virginia and the 
effect that will have on properties in downtown D.C., and the 
opportunities to have good restaurants and good commerce in downtown 
Washington?
  Mr. PERRY. I am not sure that that one particular singular focus 
should be an amendment or something like that, but as a general theme, 
I don't know that the committee would mind. We could take a look at 
that kind of activity and the effects.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, in closing, we support the bill. Information and data 
are essential for Congress to conduct proper oversight of the agencies 
under its jurisdiction, even those peripheral to its jurisdiction like 
the Capital One Arena.
  Madam Speaker, this bill will provide Congress with information 
needed in its oversight of the General Services Administration. I 
support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Again, Madam Speaker, this bill will improve transparency and 
oversight of GSA's Public Buildings Service, and its staffing 
management structure.
  Further, H.R. 6254 will inform the committee's oversight efforts to 
maximize the return of Federal employees to in-person work. I do urge 
support for this.
  I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden) for offering 
this and to acknowledge his strident and outspoken work on the behalf 
of constituents, otherwise known as our bosses, who demand and deserve 
an answer when they call these folks who work for us and work for them. 
I thank him for his diligence and dogged determination.
  Madam Speaker, I, again, urge support, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6254.
  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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