[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1116-H1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UTILIZING SPACE EFFICIENTLY AND IMPROVING TECHNOLOGIES ACT OF 2023
General Leave
Mr. PERRY. Mr. 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 on H.R. 6276.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 6276.
The Chair appoints the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans) to
preside over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 1416
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 6276) to direct the Administrator of General Services and the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget to identify the
utilization rate of certain public buildings and federally-leased
space, and for other purposes, with Mrs. Kiggans from Virginia in the
chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, or their
respective designees.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Larsen) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
Mr. PERRY. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Chair, H.R. 6276, the USE IT Act of 2023, implements
commonsense and reasonable space occupancy standards to get Federal
employees back into the office or the agency will have to lose that
unnecessary, unneeded, unused space.
A recent Government Accountability Office review of how agencies were
actually using their headquarters space here in Washington, D.C., found
that 17 of the 24 agencies GAO reviewed used 25 percent or less of
their space--17 of the 24, 25 percent or less of their space.
One agency even admitted that if 100 percent of their employees
showed up, they would still only use 67 percent of their own building.
Even more troubling is some agencies were using only 9 percent. They
can't even make double digits of their space. To be clear, we are not
just paying for space to sit empty. Throughout the whole time, we are
paying for utilities and services such as heating, cooling, lighting,
regular power, maintenance, security for the entire space that no one
is in.
Empty Federal buildings are not only a drain to the Federal taxpayer,
they also don't produce investments needed for local economies because
nobody is in the building. There is nobody there to go out to lunch.
The bottom line is agencies should bring Federal workers back to the
office. The reality is underutilized space has been a chronic problem
in Federal real estate and is one reason Federal property has been on
the GAO's high-risk list since 2003. This problem was identified 20
years ago, and it is still in existence today.
In order to address the issue, H.R. 6276 would use similar metrics to
those used by the GAO and require Federal agencies to report on their
actual utilization rates, set a target utilization of not less than 60
percent, and require the General Services Administration to report to
Congress if any agency fails to meet that standard.
Agencies will be given time to meet the 60 percent utilization
standard, but if they fail to do so, they would have to lose or give up
their excess space.
Ultimately, the results of H.R. 6276 will benefit not just the
Federal taxpayer, but also allow unused Federal buildings to be put to
better use for the local communities.
Madam Chair, I urge support of this bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Chair, H.R. 6276 directs the OMB and the GSA to establish
standards for measuring occupancy in Federal buildings. The bill
directs the GSA and Federal tenants to use sensors to measure
occupancy, requires the heads of Federal agencies to report occupancy
and utilization data, and directs the GSA to notify agencies and
Congress when occupancy in a Federal building falls below 60 percent,
at which time GSA would be permitted to consolidate tenants.
The bill further requires OMB and GSA to develop a plan to
consolidate agency headquarters buildings in the national capital
region that will result in the utilization rate of 60 percent or more.
Now, I agree with Representative Perry's goal to reduce agency costs
by giving up unneeded space. I have consistently made that point to him
and others on the committee.
I am opposed to this bill. The bill defines occupancy as the total
number of employees physically working from their offices at least 5
days per week. Many Federal employees may not sit at their desks all
day every day, including Federal firefighters, disaster responders, law
enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, food safety inspectors, TSA
supervisors, National Parks Service rangers, and more.
[[Page H1117]]
These employees would not be included in occupancy counts required by
this bill. Also not counted would be the Federal employees who work
alternative work schedules. Federal law grants the Office of Personnel
Management authority to promulgate regulations to administer
alternative work schedule programs and permits agencies to allow the
use of flexible schedules.
This authority extends to employees of any executive agency, any
military department, and the Library of Congress.
To have an accurate picture of space needs in Federal buildings, all
Federal employees occupying buildings should be counted. A full-time
employee with an approved work schedule is still a full-time employee.
This bill fails to consider that fact.
I have concerns that this bill does not adequately consider the
complexity of the Federal leasing process--a process that, frankly, is
far too complex.
Directing the OMB and GSA to reduce space if occupancy falls below 60
percent sounds fiscally responsible. However, in most currently leased
locations, if agency space is reduced, the government would still be on
the hook for the original costs in the lease contract because most
existing lease contracts do not include partial termination rights.
In prospective leases, partial termination rights would increase the
cost of leases for the government.
Again, I want to work with the chairman and the committee to resize
the Federal real estate footprint and reduce costs, not unnecessarily
increase those costs. This bill falls short.
After this period of general debate, we are going to move on to
debate the seven amendments made in order by the Rules Committee. I
will not be opposing any of those amendments, but, unfortunately, the
seven amendments do not fix the underlying defects in the bill, so I
will still oppose final passage.
I am disappointed the Rules Committee did not make in order the
amendment that Representative Titus offered that would have adjusted
the calculation of the occupancy rate to include employees with
approved alternative work schedules. This fix would have gone a long
way toward alleviating my concerns with the legislation. Not allowing
even a vote on this amendment is really a missed opportunity for
bipartisanship on this bill.
Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PERRY. Madam Chair, to my good friend, the ranking member of the
full committee, the current administration doesn't even count every
single employee in the Federal system. This bill, as he knows, does not
affect flex schedules or telework schedules. It has nothing to do with
that. We can, in this case, have our cake and eat it, too.
We can have this bill. We can get our occupancy rate up to 60
percent. We can pass the bipartisan amendment that myself and
Representative Auchincloss had worked together on and is in order. We
can try and right-size the people that actually show up to work while
acknowledging in the Federal system that not everybody has to be in the
office.
Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr.
Graves), my good friend.
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania for promoting this legislation, for carrying it through
the committee.
Let me provide a little bit of background because I think there has
been some confusion here.
If we look at occupancy rates of Federal buildings from pre-pandemic
to current, then 54 percent of the buildings are occupied as compared
to pre-pandemic.
Let me say this again. If you look at pre-pandemic occupancy and
compare it to today, you have 54 percent occupancy as compared to what
would have been 100 percent at the time, 100 percent of those slots
filled.
What this legislation does is, it says that if leases are occupied 60
percent or less, then the government needs to give up those leases.
My friend from Washington has brought up the fact that you have folks
who do telework and flexible schedules and things along those lines.
There is a 40 percent cushion, number 1. Number 2, I think something
that is incumbent upon folks in government that are using public money
to pay for this--let me say it again: $2 billion a year to operate and
maintain, $5 billion a year to pay for leases. It is incumbent upon
these folks that are managing this to make sure that you are properly
coordinating schedules.
If people are teleworking or have flexible schedules, that is fine.
Just manage them in a way that maximizes the use of the space.
Look, this is ridiculous what is going on. It is $7 billion a year.
If we went around the Congress and asked Members of Congress, do you
have something in your district that needs funding and you have been
unable to get funding for, every single one of us could spend $7
billion.
We have been trying to fight for a new bridge crossing the
Mississippi River for years and years now. It should have been done 40
years ago.
Let's be clear: It only requires divestment or elimination of the
lease if the occupancy is less than 60 percent. What private business
would even do that? I think it actually should be a higher standard in
an ideal situation.
As Chairman Perry said, according to a Government Accountability
Office study that went through, they looked at 24 Federal agencies and
17 of the 24 only used 25 percent of the space. This is insane. There
is better uses of taxpayer funds.
In closing, Madam Chair, I remind everyone here, our current
government debt is approximately $34.5 trillion. Each individual
taxpayer's share of that is around $257,000. I couldn't afford that. I
don't think we need to be irresponsibly and recklessly spending
taxpayer dollars in this environment or ever. I commend my friend from
Pennsylvania for pushing this legislation, and I urge adoption.
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).
Mr. BEYER. Madam Chair, I rise in firm opposition to H.R. 6276, the
Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act.
Contrary to what the title would suggest, this bill is an
irresponsible partisan effort that would seriously harm not only our
Federal workforce located in the national capital region, but simply
ignores the practical realities of Federal jobs.
While I agree that we should always help our agencies run more
efficiently and decrease spending where we can, this bill reveals
ignorance of the current process the GSA undertakes when it comes to
contracting, evaluations, and consolidations.
Further, the bill exempts warehouses and laboratories from its space
restrictions, but doesn't name secure classified information
facilities, SCIFs, as an exempted category.
I am concerned that this would cause negative implications for local
facilities that have been designed specifically for use of SCIFs and
for our national defense work broadly.
Finally, this bill offers no consideration for workers with
alternative work schedules, people who do field work, people who work
nontraditional hours or days, or those who have telework arrangements.
Don't get me wrong, many of our colleagues and I support the idea of
our Federal agencies consolidating spaces to repurpose parts of their
budgets. They have already done that with the Patent and Trademark
Office in my district, or to decrease spending, but this bill actually
does the opposite because by cutting short contracts we increase
spending.
GSA already assists agencies with consolidating unused spaces. If you
take out the bill language that matches what GSA is already doing, it
is easy to read this as just a partisan ploy to move agency
headquarters out of the national capital region and attack Federal
employees.
{time} 1430
There is no need to introduce a bill to mandate work that GSA already
does and to threaten to remove agency workspaces because of arbitrary
building occupancy rates.
Madam Chair, I have invested in and managed real estate for many
decades. This bill doesn't offer an appropriate metric to evaluate
space usage, need, or work productivity. I didn't consider places in my
car stores that are occupied by cars instead of people as wasted
[[Page H1118]]
space. It is a matter of appropriateness. Any Member here who would
allow their staff to work from home would be a hypocrite to oppose this
bill.
We need the best and brightest to want to work for the Federal
Government, and we want to utilize telework and nontraditional hours or
days where it is appropriate. After all, we want the most productive
and effective Federal workforce. Applying 1950s mentalities of butts in
seats 5 days a week doesn't reflect the actual work that most Americans
do. What if they need to spend every day in a SCIF or at a site visit?
For these reasons, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to
recommit this bill back to committee.
If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an
important amendment to this bill offered by Representative Titus.
Madam Chair, this amendment would ensure that all Federal employees,
including those using alternative work schedules, are counted for
utilization rates at Federal buildings. This amendment would
significantly alleviate some concerns coming from workers who use
alternative work schedules and whose access to reliable workspaces
would be threatened by this bill.
Madam Chair, I include in the Record the text of the amendment.
Mr. Beyer moves to recommit the bill H.R. 6276 to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure with instructions to report the same
back to the House forthwith, with the following amendment:
Strike paragraph (7) of section 2(a) of the bill and insert
the following:
(7). Occupancy.--
(A) In general.--The term ``occupancy'' means the total
number of employees covered under section 6101 of title 5,
United States Code, that are provided a workspace in a public
building or federally-leased space for purposes of carrying
out in-person, official duties, as described under such
section.
(B) Exceptions.--An employee shall be considered to be
covered under subparagraph (A) if such employee is a full-
time employee for whom a Federal agency has established an
alternative workweek schedule pursuant to--
(i) section 6122 of title 5, United States Code; or
(ii) section 6127 of such title.
Mr. BEYER. Madam Chair, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting
for the motion to recommit.
Mr. PERRY. Madam Chair, historically, for 20 years anyhow, while this
problem has been identified, these issues have historically been
bipartisan. In fact, it was former President Obama who advocated
agencies to freeze and then reduce their space footprint, recognizing
that agencies had far more space than they needed.
To the gentleman who just spoke, GSA actually wants to do it. They
want to reduce the space, but the agencies won't allow it. Why would
they? They get so much space, and they don't have to deal with managing
it or not. They just get the space, and they can continue on their
other work with as much space as they need, sometimes 3,000 square feet
per employee.
A lot of people in America would like to have a house that is 3,000
square feet for their whole family. If they were watching today and
found out that the Federal Government was paying for that, that their
taxes were paying for that when they couldn't afford it themselves,
they would be furious.
The Obama administration set a standard that agencies had to account
for things like teleworking, actual space usage, and planning for the
space. For example, in an agency that may have 1,000 people assigned to
a building, only a portion of those people would be counted when it
came to desks and space. It puts into consideration things like
teleworking. The Obama administration even proposed selling the
Department of Labor building based on this type of space utilization
and counting.
More recently, I know that the gentlewoman from the District of
Columbia has previously proposed legislation to move and sell the
Department of Energy, but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
say that Republicans just want to kick Federal employees out of their
buildings. We don't. We would actually prefer that they come back to
work.
Additionally, if they come back to work, I think it is very
reasonable for us to say that we want the building to be 60 percent
occupied. Sixty percent is, to me, a pretty good compromise with my
friends on the other side of the aisle who are saying we just want to
sell buildings and kick Federal employees out of their buildings.
We don't. We want them to come to work, but we want them to be good
stewards of the taxpayers' money and to use the space efficiently. When
they don't need it, like everybody else would do, give up that space to
be utilized either by other agencies in the Federal Government or by
the political subdivision. Some town or city where that building is
located should have the advantage to use that space so that they can
increase their tax rolls, so that they can help their vendors out on
the streets, and so that they can help their community.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Chair, I do think it is incumbent on me to characterize my
position and recharacterize my friend's characterization of my
position, which, as I recall, was to close buildings and kick out
Federal employees.
That is not my position. In fact, in many ways, I share the goals of
the chair of the subcommittee, that it is clear we have much more
federally owned and leased space than is currently being used given the
work schedules and changes that have taken place since COVID. It is
necessary for us to look at how best to consolidate that space, to
rightsize that space, given its usage.
The problem I have is the hammer approach that this particular bill
takes by setting a hard and fast 60 percent rule rather than looking at
the flexibility necessary when you are considering agency by agency,
division by division within those agencies, and how that space can be
used properly and most efficiently.
We have worked on a bipartisan basis on the committee on a wide range
of policies, including rightsizing the Federal real estate footprint.
Just yesterday, we passed, on suspension, the FASTA Reform Act, a bill
that the chairman himself sponsored that will expedite the disposal of
excess Federal property.
When we work together, we can make some really good progress on this
and other issues, but today's bill does fall short by failing to take
into account the complexity of the Federal leasing process and using an
incomplete and flawed metric for measuring the occupancy rate of
Federal buildings.
I do welcome the opportunity to work with any Member in good faith,
and we have done that, again, on many issues in the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee. We all want to make genuine improvements on
the Federal real estate program.
Mr. Chair, I do oppose this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to
do the same.
Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the Statement of Administration
Policy that the administration strongly opposes H.R. 6276; a letter
dated March 12 from the AFL-CIO in opposition to H.R. 6276; a letter
dated March 11 from the Federal Workers Alliance opposing H.R. 6276;
and a letter dated March 8 from the American Federation of Government
Employees opposing H.R. 6276.
Statement of Administration Policy
H.R. 6276--Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies (USE
IT) Act of 2023--Rep. Perry, R-PA
The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 6276, the USE IT
Act, which would direct the Director of the Office of
Management Budget (OMB) and the Administrator of the General
Services Administration (GSA) to ensure that Federal
agencies' building utilization meets an arbitrary level of
not less than a 60 percent average each year and, if an
agency does not reach the target, GSA and OMB would have to
forcibly reduce the agency's space. While the Administration
believes that the Federal real estate portfolio needs to be
evaluated and optimized, the Administration believes that
agencies' unique missions require individualized approaches
to improving space utilization. H.R. 6276 does not consider
the varying mission and technical requirements of individual
agencies or the age and original design of affected
facilities when directing the OMB Director and GSA
Administrator to develop and implement a plan to consolidate
multiple agency headquarters functions into fewer buildings
within the National Capital Region. These buildings, many of
which are historic, would require major modernization and
reconfiguration, prior to supporting dramatically increased
occupancy levels. Instead, the Administration recommends
strengthening the
[[Page H1119]]
collection of utilization data by Federal agencies and
providing sufficient funding to GSA and affected agencies to
execute necessary consolidations. The Administration is
committed to working with agencies to improve their
utilization of Federal space and to identify opportunities to
reduce space.
____
AFL-CIO,
March 12, 2024.
Dear Representative: On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I write to
express our opposition to H.R. 6276, the Utilizing Space
Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (the USE
IT Act). The metrics mandated by this act fail to accurately
measure occupancy of federal buildings and leased space in a
manner that reflects the distinctive ways federal workers
perform their duties to benefit the public.
While the USE IT Act aims to track, measure and report on
occupancy rates of federal buildings and federally leased
space, the yardstick used to measure federal building and
leased space occupancy is overly broad and unlikely to
accurately reflect occupancy rates and efficiencies. The USE
IT Act requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and
the General Services Administration (GSA) to determine
whether a federal agency meets a 60 percent or higher
occupancy rate. The 60 percent metric does not relate to the
mission of a federal agency, or how federal workers do their
jobs to achieve that mission.
Many federal workers, such as inspectors, law enforcement
officers, and engineers, split their time between fieldwork
and federal buildings or federal leased space. Other federal
workers have agreements with their agency for alternative
workplace arrangements. The overly broad metric penalizes
federal agencies and their staff for long term work
arrangements that function well.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of
flexibility in how and where work was performed. Federal
agencies had plans in place allowing federal workers in every
state and the District of Columbia area to continue to serve
the public during the pandemic, weather emergencies, or when
federal buildings or leased spaces are inaccessible. The
arbitrary 60 percent occupancy rate metric required by the
USE IT Act makes it less likely that federal agencies and the
workforce can continue to serve the public in an efficient
and effective manner. I urge you to oppose the USE IT Act.
Sincerely,
William Samuel,
Director, Government Affairs.
____
Federal Workers Alliance,
March 11, 2024.
House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Representative: We write to you as the executive
officers of the Federal Workers Alliance (FWA), a labor
coalition representing over 550,000 Federal and Postal
workers, to urge you to vote in opposition of H.R. 6276, the
Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of
2023, also known as the USE IT Act.
As you know, the USE IT Act would direct the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services
Administration (GSA) to establish standard methodologies to
measure occupancy in federal buildings and federally leased
space. The bill also requires federal agencies to work with
GSA to implement technologies to track occupancy and usage
rates of federal buildings and to provide reports to Congress
on the collected data, GSA is then required by the act to
take actions against agencies in federal buildings that
report less than 60 percent usage rates, such as
consolidating building space with other agencies or selling
excess building space.
In setting an arbitrary number, such as 60 percent, the
bill fails to account for ongoing strategic planning, current
changes, and future trends in accordance with the federal
government's space requirements. Making premature or not
fully evaluated rearrangements of federal space for the sake
of satisfying an arbitrary number is often a costly and
wasteful endeavor, especially if the same or equivalent space
must be repurchased or leased at a higher rate in the future.
It is better to leave these decisions to the authorizations
and appropriations processes within Congress, and allow those
decisions to overlay with GSA and the agencies themselves to
ensure that decisions are based on strategy and economics,
rather than an arbitrary number.
The FWA further opposes the USE IT Act because OMB and GSA,
in addition to other federal agencies, currently measure
occupancy and usage rates within federally owned and leased
buildings. Since 2020, new technologies have been piloted to
collect this data and GSA reports that it has already
consolidated federal spaces based on occupancy rates and
usage data. GSA is expected to continue to track this data
and consolidate office space consistent with the agency's
current practices, therefore rendering the USE IT Act
unnecessary.
OMB, GSA, and all federal agencies have been adjusting for
the efficient use of office space since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to do so as agencies
establish and implement policies relating to in-person work
for federal employees. Agency leaders and federal employees
alike now have a profound understanding of how they can best
utilize building space and remote work. It is our position
that the USE IT Act will only create obstacles for agencies
in carrying out their mission in service to the American
public.
Thank you for considering our request. We are available to
provide further information about our opposition to the USE
IT Act of 2023. If you have any questions, please contact FWA
legislative cochairs Faraz Kahn or Steve Lenkan.
Sincerely,
Federal Education Association (FEA); International
Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF); International Federation
of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE);
International Plate Printers, Die Stampers, Plate Makers and
Engravers of North America (PPDSPM&E of N.A.); National
Association of Agriculture Employees (NAAE); National
Association of Government Employees, SEIU (NAGE); National
Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM); National Weather
Service Employees Organization (NWSEO); Patent Office
Professional Association (POPA); Professional Aviation Safety
Specialists (PASS).
____
American Federation of
Government Employees, AFL-CIO,
Washington, DC, March 8, 2024.
Dear Representative: On behalf of the American Federation
of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE), which represents
over 750,000 federal and District of Columbia employees in 70
agencies, I write to express AFGE's opposition to H.R. 6276,
the ``Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies
Act of 2023,'' which would direct the General Services
Administration and the Office of Management and Budget to
measure occupancy in federal buildings and federally leased
space and reduce or consolidate space if utilization rates
fall below 60 percent.
H.R. 6276's stated goal is to reduce federal real estate
holdings and right size the federal portfolio. While there
may be benefits derived from studying the federal
government's real estate footprint, AFGE opposes the bill's
blunt and seemingly arbitrary metric to determine when a
federal agency fails to meet a 60 percent or higher building
occupancy rate. This metric fails in two important ways: (1)
it ignores the tens of thousands of federal workers, many of
whom AFGE represents, whose work is split, often
unpredictably from week-to-week, between an agency building
and the field, such as food safety inspectors, law
enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, TSA supervisors,
park rangers, and firefighters, to name only a few; (2) it
treats alternative work schedule programs the same way,
making no distinction between the agency employee who,
pursuant to an agency workplace arrangement, teleworks one
day a week and the employee who teleworks two or three days a
week; and (3) despite a few narrow exceptions, it treats
personnel occupancy as the sole measure of whether a building
is needed, overlooking the full range of federal building
uses that includes healthcare, research and development,
equipment maintenance and repair, manufacturing, meeting
space, and hearing rooms. Indeed, it would be hard to find
many sizeable private employers who treat human occupancy as
the sole determinant of their space needs; yet the federal
government is the largest and most diverse employer in the
world.
H.R. 6276's failure in the utilization rate calculation to
account for distinctions in the federal workforce, the role
of alternative work schedule programs in meeting agencies
recruitment and retention needs, the types of work federal
workers perform, and, particularly, the blurry line between
so-called desk jobs and jobs of a more physical nature risks
inaccurately producing building utilization rates that fall
below the 60 percent threshold. Such inaccurate calculations
in turn would force agencies to either consolidate with other
agencies or sell or dispose of ''excess space'' that in fact
is needed and should be retained to accommodate agency
employees who spend all or significant amounts of their time
working from an agency building.
H.R. 6276 also ignores important lessons of the recent
past. As the COVID-19 pandemic vividly demonstrated, major
emergencies can threaten the continuity of government
operations, both in the District of Columbia and outside the
Capitol region where almost 80 percent of federal workers are
employed. To prepare for these crises, federal agencies have
adopted polices and technologies to ensure their employees
can perform their jobs safely, securely, and without
interruption from either an agency building or remotely.
Combining the use of alternative work schedule programs where
appropriate with traditional workplace arrangements has
contributed to this preparation, enabling federal agencies
and their employees to serve the public efficiently in
ordinary times and quickly adapt to exigent circumstances in
times of crisis. If enacted, H.R. 6276 would discourage
agencies from including alternative work schedule programs as
part of their contingency planning.
Please oppose H.R. 6276, the ``Utilizing Space Efficiently
and Improving Technologies Act of 2023.'' if you have
questions or need additional information, please contact
Daniel Horowitz, Keith Abouchar, or Julie Tippens.
Sincerely,
Julie N. Tippens,
Director, Legislative Department.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
[[Page H1120]]
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Moylan). The gentleman from Pennsylvania has 20
minutes remaining.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I do want to respond to my good friend from
Washington.
I didn't mean to mischaracterize his assessment or his comments.
However, the speaker before the gentleman from Washington did
essentially make those claims, and so I was answering that.
While I am here, I want to characterize what the public is seeing if
they are reading The Washington Times. Here is an article from
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, ``Idea to fill empty Federal buildings
with illegal immigrants,'' where DHS headquarters is 69 percent unused
and Social Security offices are 93 percent vacant.
No wonder offices like mine deal with so many constituent calls when
they can't get answers from the Social Security Administration.
We would like those folks to come back to work, but if they are not
going to come back to work, could we stop having everybody, including
Social Security recipients, pay for the empty building?
Here is another one from The Washington Times, dated Thursday,
September 21, 2023: ``Telework's empty buildings opens the door for
Legionnaires' disease.''
Well, isn't that wonderful? Won't that be great when the source of a
new outbreak of Legionnaires' disease comes from a vacant Federal
building that we are paying for?
Here is another one, ``IG to investigate Federal offices left vacant
by telework policies,'' from The Washington Times, and the date of this
is Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
Finally, ``Ghost towns: Federal office buildings are 80 percent
vacant, government audit finds.'' This article is from The Washington
Times, dated Thursday, October 26, 2023.
We have an opportunity here that shouldn't be partisan and should be
pretty simple. All we are saying is: Federal agencies, can you come
back to work at least 60 percent? Is that too much? It is 10 percent
above 50 percent, which would be half empty. We find that very
objectionable, but at least 60 percent should be something we agree on.
Mr. Chair, I include all the articles that I discussed previously in
the Record.
[From the Washington Times, Dec. 6, 2023]
Idea To Fill Empty Federal Buildings With Illegal Immigrants Solves Two
Problems for Biden Admin
DHS HQ is 69 percent unused, Social Security offices 93 percent vacant
(By Stephen Dinan)
The Biden administration is desperate to find shelter for
all the illegal immigrants caught and released into the U.S.
Perhaps they could stay in federal office buildings.
The Department of Homeland Security's palatial headquarters
in Washington's southeast quadrant sits nearly 70 percent
vacant, according to data released this week by Sen. Joni
Ernst, Iowa Republican.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, whose
mission is to put Americans into homes, is even worse. Its
headquarters is 93 percent vacant. So is the Social Security
Administration's main building outside Baltimore.
The Office of Personnel Management, the government's human
resources agency, is a ghost town with 88 percent of its
space unoccupied. The General Services Administration, the
government's chief landlord agency, can't fill its own
headquarters, with an 89 percent vacancy rate.
Across two dozen departments and agencies, not a single one
was at 50 percent capacity in the first three months of this
year, according to Ms. Ernst's figures.
``While it's not the night before Christmas yet, there's
not a creature stirring, not even a mouse, in the halls
across this city,'' Ms. Ernst said in releasing the occupancy
figures.
She said the Biden administration gave the numbers to her
but didn't want them released publicly. She defied that
demand, saying the public needs to know how bad things have
become in the federal workforce.
``COVID's been over for years. Where are the workers?'' she
said.
The Washington Times reached out to the worst-performing
agencies to ask about the vacancies and their plans to
rectify matters.
None of the agencies provided a comment, though in response
to federal officials, HUD and the Small Business
Administration said their spaces were undergoing renovations
during the test period, which contributed to a decrease in
attendance.
The GSA controls more than 90 million square feet of office
space in the Washington region alone, and the government
holds about 511 million square feet nationally. GSA figures
on 150 to 180 square feet of usable space per employee.
The 24 headquarters buildings for which Ms. Ernst released
data were operating at about 20 percent of full use.
Occupancy is based on a building's capacity and the amount
of use of its space. The data was based on average attendance
during sample days in a three-month period from January
through March and was derived from sign-ins, logins and badge
swipes.
While offices sit empty, many American communities are
overwhelmed by the surge of illegal immigrants whom the Biden
administration has caught and released.
Ms. Ernst suggested a meeting of the minds.
``So-called sanctuary cities have run out of space to
shelter the influx of immigrants that the Biden
administration is allowing to enter the country illegally.
With two-thirds of the Department of Homeland Security
headquarters going unused, maybe the agency causing the
problem can solve it by opening their doors,'' she told The
Times.
Homeland Security, which has a use rate of 31 percent, did
not respond to a request for comment on the idea.
Exact numbers are a closely held secret, but outside
estimates say Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
has paroled 2 million illegal immigrants into the U.S., in
addition to others caught and released or who sneaked in
altogether.
The administration has moved to stick thousands of them at
a National Park Service property in New York. It signed a
lease with the city for the Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
That location lacks many amenities, and the tent city
erected to house the migrants sits in a flood plain, critics
charged.
House Republicans, joined by a smattering of Democrats,
voted last week to cancel the lease and to prevent migrants
from being placed on other property held by federal land
management agencies. That legislation, which is unlikely to
make it through the Democratic-controlled Senate, does not
appear to block migrants from being placed in buildings run
by non-land-management agencies.
Meanwhile, vacancy at federal buildings is an increasingly
touchy issue for the Biden administration, which has declared
the pandemic emergency over and ordered employees back to
work in person but has been met with resistance by those
workers.
The comptroller general, in a report earlier this year,
prodded agencies about the matter.
They offered a host of excuses for why they weren't filling
space, including preparing for a possible surge of returning
employees.
Some excuses seemed more territorial.
The audit said some agencies seemed to worry that giving up
their buildings or sharing space with others would make them
seem less powerful than other agencies.
Even within departments and agencies, divisions were
reluctant to share space such as conference rooms, the
Government Accountability Office said.
____
[From the Washington Times, Sept. 21, 2023]
Telework's Empty Buildings Open the Door for Legionnaires' Disease
(By Stephen Dinan)
The water supply in at least six federal government
buildings is contaminated with the bacterium that causes
Legionnaires' disease, and the problem may be even more
widespread, according to the inspector general who oversees
U.S. properties.
One of the buildings is a work site for thousands of
employees, one is a post office in Chicago and one houses a
day care center.
Investigators said one culprit is pandemic teleworking,
which has left buildings operating at less than capacity.
Fewer people means less water is flushed through the pipes,
creating a stagnant environment where Legionella pneumophila
can proliferate.
____
[From the Washington Times, Oct. 18, 2023]
IG To Investigate Federal Offices Left Vacant by Telework Policies
(By Stephen Dinan)
A federal inspector general has opened an investigation
into telework policies that have turned some government
offices into ghost towns, risking the spread of disease and
raising questions about how agencies deliver services.
The inspector general for the General Services
Administration, which acts as the chief landlord for civilian
executive branch agencies, confirmed the work in a letter to
Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, who says the government has
not fully grappled with a host of questions about the barren
buildings.
``My office shares your concerns about the effect of
telework on GSA's ability to carry out its mission
effectively and efficiently,'' acting Inspector General
Robert Erickson told Ms. Ernst in a letter, which The
Washington Times obtained. ``My office plans to continue to
devote attention to GSA's space utilization in our future
oversight efforts.''
____
[From the Washington Times, Oct. 26, 2023]
Ghost Towns: Federal Office Buildings are 80% Vacant, Government Audit
Finds
(By Stephen Dinan)
The Agriculture Department is headquartered at the gateway
between Washington and Virginia in a building rich with
history--but on any given day, roughly 90 percent of it sits
empty.
[[Page H1121]]
That's not an anomaly.
The Government Accountability Office surveyed two dozen
federal agencies and found they averaged a roughly 80 percent
vacancy rate during the study period earlier this year.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, Federal real property has remained on the GAO's
high-risk list for more than 20 years. The Government Accountability
Office has said this is a high risk for the last 20 years, and we are
on the precipice. We are standing on the edge of providing a solution
to the excess space that exists that we keep paying for.
At the same time, our debt has gone to $34 trillion. By May, it will
be $35 trillion. We are not going to save trillions here, but we can
save billions here. If you start adding up billions, maybe you will
finally get to trillions. However, we are not saving anything right
now, and we are not going to save any of this if we don't pass this
bill.
This is our opportunity, Mr. Chair, to finally fix this problem, a
problem that I will note has historically found bipartisan support to
address the issue. Even on this occasion, when the bill was lacking, we
had a hearing. We had a markup on it.
Friends on the other side of the aisle said: Would you listen to a
way where potentially we could improve it?
Of course, we did, and we worked together. You are going to have an
opportunity to vote on that amendment shortly.
The USE IT Act of 2023 is reasonable. It is commonsense legislation
that simply says that if the Federal employees don't come back into the
office, the taxpayer is not going to have to pay for the empty space.
We don't have any extra money in this town, Mr. Chair. Nobody has any
extra money. Right here, we have identified it. This is where some of
it is going unnecessarily. We can consolidate. We can sell things off.
Some of these agencies will probably get a new building, just at the
right size, where their workers would still have flex time, would still
telework where appropriate, and where constituents--our bosses, the
American people--could access the services that they pay for and
deserve to get because they do pay for them.
Mr. Chair, I urge support of this soon-to-be bipartisan bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment
under the 5-minute rule.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, printed in the bill,
shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be
considered as read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
H.R. 6276
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 ``Utilizing Space Efficiently
and Improving Technologies Act of 2023'' or the ``USE IT Act
of 2023''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) In General.--In this Act:
(1) Actual utilization rate.--The term ``actual utilization
rate'' means the total usable square footage of a public
building or federally-leased space divided by the occupancy.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of General Services.
(3) Building utilization.--The term ``building
utilization'' means the percentage of utilization generated
by comparing the actual utilization rate with the capacity
based on a utilization benchmark of 150 useable square feet
per person.
(4) Capacity.--The term ``capacity'' means the total usable
square footage of a public building or federally-leased space
divided by a utilization benchmark.
(5) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Management and Budget.
(6) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' means an
executive department covered by the CFO Act of 1990 (Public
Law 101-576).
(7) Occupancy.--The term ``occupancy'' means the total
number of employees performing duties in person in a public
building or federally-leased space at least 5 days per week
on a regular basis.
SEC. 3. IDENTIFICATION AND DEPLOYMENT OF BUILDING USAGE
TECHNOLOGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in coordination
with the Director, shall establish standard methodologies and
identify technologies available for measuring occupancy in
public buildings and federally-leased space.
(b) Measurement of Utilization.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the heads of Federal
agencies shall work with the Administrator to identify,
deploy, and use sensors and other technologies in public
buildings and federally-leased space, where the Federal
agency occupies space to measure the occupancy of public
buildings and leased space.
SEC. 4. REPORTING ON USAGE OF REAL PROPERTY.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, and annually thereafter, the heads of Federal agencies
shall submit to the Director, the Administrator, the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on--
(1) the occupancy and the actual utilization rates of space
in public buildings and federally-leased space occupied by
the respective agency of the Federal agency head broken down
by building and lease;
(2) the methodology used for determining occupancy,
including the period of time and other parameters used to
determine occupancy on a regular basis;
(3) the utilization percentage of each public building and
federally-leased space by the respective agency of the
Federal agency head, comparing the capacity to the actual
utilization rate based on a utilization benchmark of 150
usable square feet per person; and
(4) any costs associated with capacity that exceeds
occupancy with respect to the respective agency of the
Federal agency head.
SEC. 5. REDUCING UNNEEDED SPACE.
(a) Target Utilization Metrics.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the Director, in consultation with the
Administrator, shall ensure building utilization in each
public building and federally-leased space is not less than
60 percent on average over each 1-year period.
(b) Actions.--In the event that building utilization is
below 60 percent on average over a 1-year period described in
subsection (a) for any particular public building or
federally-leased space, the Administrator shall--
(1) provide notice to the tenant agency informing such
agency of the excess in capacity along with associated costs
of such excess; and
(2) notify the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Committee
on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate of such excess capacity and associated costs.
(c) Subsequent Failure.--If the tenant agency fails to meet
the 60 percent target under subsection (a) in the reporting
period subsequent to the reporting period under subsection
(b), the Administrator shall, in consultation with the
Director, take steps to reduce the space of the tenant
agency, including consolidating the tenant agency with
another agency, selling or disposing of excess capacity
space, and adjusting space requirements, as appropriate, for
any replacement space.
(d) Prioritization.--The Administrator, in coordination
with the Director, shall prioritize to the maximum extent
practicable capital investments in public buildings where
Federal agencies meet or exceed building utilization metrics,
except that prioritization may be given to projects that will
result in building utilization of 60 percent or more.
(e) Exceptions.--
(1) In general.--The Director may provide exceptions to
building utilization metrics based on the amount of non-
standard office space a Federal agency demonstrates is
required to meet the mission of the agency, including
warehouse space, laboratories critical to the mission of the
agency, and public customer-facing spaces driven by agency
missions.
(2) Reporting.--The Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on any
exceptions granted, including the justification for such
exception.
SEC. 6. HEADQUARTERS BUILDINGS.
(a) Headquarters Consolidations.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in
consultation with the Administrator, shall submit to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of the Senate, and the Comptroller General of the
United States a plan to consolidate department and agency
headquarters buildings in the National Capital Region that
will result in building utilizations of 60 percent or
greater.
(b) Contents.--The plan submitted under subsection (a)
shall include details on the following:
(1) Which departments and agencies will collocate and
consolidate and into which buildings and associated details
before and after plan implementation related to building
utilization, building capacities, and actual utilization.
(2) Details on the strategies for the sale or disposal of
buildings that will no longer be needed for Federal use.
(3) A detailed breakdown of any costs associated with the
proposed consolidations and collocations.
(4) An estimate of future savings as a result of space
reductions and consolidations, including costs associated
with energy savings and building operations.
(c) Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after the
submission of the plan under subsection (a), the
Administrator and Director shall begin implementing such
plan.
The Acting CHAIR. No further amendment to the bill, as amended,
[[Page H1122]]
shall be in order except those printed in House Report 118-419. Each
such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the
report, by the Member designated in the report, shall be considered as
read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally
divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be
subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division
of the question.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Edwards
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1
printed in House Report 118-419.
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 9, after line 5, insert the following:
SEC. 7. FEDERAL USE IT OR LOSE IT LEASES ACT.
(a) Reporting of Space Utilization and Occupancy Data for
Office Space.--An occupancy agreement between the
Administrator of General Services and a Federal tenant for
office space shall--
(1) include language that requires the Federal tenant to
submit to the Administrator an annual report for the duration
of the agreement containing data on--
(A) monthly total occupancy of such office space;
(B) the actual utilization of such office space;
(C) monthly space utilization rates; and
(D) any other office space utilization data considered
important by the Administrator; and
(2) include language that requires the Federal tenant to
have written procedures in place governing the return of
office space to the Administrator if the occupancy of the
Federal tenant falls below a 60 percent space utilization
rate for 6 months within any 1-year period, beginning on the
date on which the agreement takes effect.
(b) Requirements for Federal Agencies With Independent
Leasing Authorities.--The head of any agency with independent
leasing authorities with leases for office space shall submit
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and
Public Works of the Senate, and each congressional committee
of jurisdiction of the applicable independent leasing
authority an annual report for the duration of such agreement
containing data on--
(1) monthly total occupancy of the office space;
(2) the actual utilization of such office space;
(3) monthly space utilization rates; and
(4) any other office space utilization data considered
important for collection by Congress.
(c) Exceptions to Reporting and Occupancy Agreement
Requirements.--This section shall not apply to properties
used by an element of the intelligence community.
(d) Applicability.--The requirements of this section shall
apply to any occupancy or novation agreement entered into on
or after the date that is 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Federal tenant.--The term ``Federal tenant''--
(A) means an Federal agency that has an occupancy agreement
with the Administrator of General Services to occupy a
commercial lease for office space secured by the
Administrator on behalf of the Federal Government; and
(B) does not include an element of the intelligence
community.
(2) Intelligence community.--The term ``intelligence
community'' has the meaning given that term in section 3 of
the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003).
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I commend Mr. Perry for his work on this important bill. I
had the opportunity to serve on the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, where this horrible expense issue was brought to our
attention.
I also thank the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez), my
bipartisan co-lead, for her partnership on this amendment and the
greater standalone bill.
Mr. Chair, I am here today to urge support for my amendment to H.R.
6276, the USE IT Act.
{time} 1445
I introduced the Federal Use it or Lose it Leases Act, or the FULL
Act, back in November to bring accountability to the practice of
maintaining high telework levels while maintaining expensive office
leases and to reduce wasteful government spending on unused office
space.
My bill was drafted in concurrence with Mr. Perry's USE IT Act to
ensure that our language was synonymous and could work together to
establish strong Federal building policies and procedures to reduce the
Federal footprint. The FULL Act unanimously passed out of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by voice vote during the
full committee markup on November 15.
As you well know, a GAO report found that 17 of the 24 major agency
headquarters in D.C. were less than 25 percent occupied during the
first quarter of 2023. Even the few agencies above 25 percent reported
right around or below 50 percent occupancy. Meanwhile, taxpayers
continue to pay for 100 percent of the office space Federal employees
are not using.
The Federal real estate portfolio has become a wasteland that is
seldom reviewed. Leased assets cost taxpayers more than $6 billion a
year. Even during the peak of telework, between 2020 and 2022, Federal
agencies managed to spend more than $1 billion in a single year on new
furnishings.
If you compare the USE IT Act and my amendment, you will see our
language is very similar. Mr. Perry's USE IT Act establishes the
criteria that I reference in my amendment to regulate general Federal
building practices. My bill differentiates itself by serving as the
reporting catalyst for Mr. Perry's bill.
The USE IT Act creates mandatory reporting requirements for agencies,
and the FULL Act will require that GSA include language in all leases
with Federal tenants directing the submission of an annual report on
monthly occupancy and inclusion of written procedures governing the
return of that unused office space to GSA. Together, the language
ensures Congress has up-to-date information to make the best space
utilization decisions for our taxpayers.
The FULL Act also requires independent leasing authorities to submit
a report to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the congressional
committee of jurisdiction on occupancy and space utilization.
Ultimately, my amendment seeks to equip Congress and GSA with the
data needed to provide greater oversight of Federal leases, to reduce
the Federal real estate footprint, and to ensure that we are maximizing
every Federal dollar spent on office space for agency use. Mr. Perry's
bill sets the best practices for managing Federal real estate, and my
amendment provides the mechanism for implementing those best practices.
Ultimately, Mr. Chair, I urge support of my amendment, which will
help to strengthen congressional oversight of government spending on
office leases and prevent taxpayers from continuing to foot the bill
for underutilized Federal office space.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition,
although I am not opposed to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, this amendment requires GSA to
include in its occupancy agreements with Federal tenants a requirement
that tenant agencies submit a report on utilization and usage to GSA.
It also requires the return of office space by the tenant to GSA if
occupancy falls below 60 percent for 6 months within any 1-year period.
GSA previously allowed tenant agencies to return unneeded space back
to GSA with 120-days' notice, but in May of 2023, GSA changed its
policy and now all new occupancy agreements between GSA and Federal
tenants must include a noncancellation clause to prevent agencies from
returning space to GSA.
Requiring agencies to return space if occupancy falls below 60
percent for 6 months does not account for the fact that space costs
incurred by the government still remain under the lease contract.
While I have concerns about the mechanics and the cost of an agency
returning space to GSA with this amendment, I will not oppose this
amendment.
[[Page H1123]]
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from Washington State (Ms. Perez).
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment with
Representative Edwards for the USE IT Act which would incorporate our
bipartisan bill, the FULL Act, to inform how Federal office leases are
renewed and ensure unused government office space can be effectively
repurposed.
Flexibility in where Federal employees work has allowed public
servants to spend more time coaching their kids' Little League team and
less time commuting in traffic. In addition, telework has been
beneficial to rural communities like mine.
However, Federal policy needs to keep up so taxpayers aren't footing
the bill for empty office space. We want to see our tax dollars going
to fixing aging infrastructure in our public schools, not to landlords.
With more than half of all Federal leases set to expire in the next 5
years, our FULL Act would help the government better utilize space and
cut down on expensive building leases and furniture.
Our amendment will require important reporting on space utilization,
occupancy, and availability, as well as ensuring agencies have written
procedures in place to return unused office space to the GSA.
Instead of wasting tax dollars on empty buildings and their
landlords, we should be using them to replace our crumbling
infrastructure.
I am grateful for Congressman Edwards' partnership on this
bipartisan, commonsense effort to reduce government waste and be
responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. I urge my colleagues to
support this amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman from North Carolina has
expired.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, again, I do not oppose the
amendment on this side of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Perry
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2
printed in House Report 118-419.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 4, strike lines 4 through 7 and insert the following:
(7) Occupancy.--The term ``occupancy'' means the total
number of employees actually performing duties in person in a
public building or federally-leased space 40 hours per week
regardless of work arrangements.
Page 4, after line 21, insert the following:
(c) Protection of Personally Identifiable Information.--In
carrying out subsection (b), the Administrator shall ensure
any sensors used for the purposes of determining occupancy
are designed to protect of all personally identifiable
information.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I am pleased to offer this bipartisan amendment to H.R.
6276 with the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss). This
amendment makes two clarifying changes to the bill, ensuring that the
legislation collects occupancy data in a way that better encompasses
all Federal workers, wherever they are working, and protects the
privacy of those workers.
This amendment updates the definition of ``occupancy'' in the bill
from the total number of employees performing duties in person over a
5-day workweek to the number of employees doing so over a 40-hour
workweek, ensuring that occupancy calculations can more comprehensively
account for all employees.
Now, the issue came up during discussion in regular order in the
committee. Mr. Auchincloss had some issues with the bill, and rightly
so. He came to me, and he said: Can we work on this? I said: Sure, I
think we can because we are all interested in making things better, no
matter where the ideas come from.
Additionally, this amendment requires that the sensors used to
collect occupancy data within this bill are designed to protect the
personally identifiable information of the building's occupants,
ensuring that these new requirements will not impinge and impose on
Federal employee privacy.
It has been great to work with the gentleman. We all want to improve
things. We all think we have the best ideas, but sometimes we don't,
and when somebody else does, you have just got to say, well, look, can
we get it done together? If that brings us together, that is a win for
the American people and, quite honestly, a win for this Congress if we
can work on the amendment, get it passed and also the bill.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition,
although I am not opposed to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss).
Mr. AUCHINCLOSS. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment
with Mr. Perry to his bill, the Utilizing Space Efficiently and
Improving Technologies, or USE IT, Act.
I support the intent and much of the substance of the underlying
bill. I believe it is wise to require the Federal Government to be a
good steward of its leases and of taxpayer dollars. It is important to
reevaluate employee occupancy of Federal buildings in this new post-
COVID employment environment, just as the private sector is doing, and
to rightsize our Federal office space accordingly.
This amendment makes two important revisions to the bill. I
appreciate Mr. Perry's collaboration in adopting it.
First, it defines occupancy in terms of hours per week instead of
days per week to better reflect Federal employees who have compressed
work schedules. Second, it codifies that any technology used to collect
occupancy data should protect personally identifiable information,
which GSA is already doing.
This amendment does not solve every outstanding issue with this bill.
I agree with the ranking member that Ms. Titus' amendment should also
have been made in order, but I do believe it materially improves it,
and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, again, trying to alleviate the fact that a vast
majority of the buildings are vastly understaffed, yet 100 percent of
them are paid for, that is what we are trying to do here. It has been a
20-year-long problem--20 years long. The Obama administration
recognized it and tried to do something about it. Of course, GSA wants
to do something about it. Again, the tenants, the occupants of the
buildings, the agencies have no incentive to reduce their space. They
would be happy to have all the space and have nobody in it except when
they feel like showing up as long as the taxpayer is willing to pay for
an empty building, well heated, well cared for, well maintained, just
in case they might use it.
Now, we have told the Rules Committee that we want to see all the
amendments that are worthy to be listened to be debated and come to the
floor for a vote because we think that improving ideas, no matter where
they come from, is the greatest thing for this institution and for this
effort.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment that I worked
on with my good friend, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, my biggest concern with the
underlying bill is that it defines occupancy as the total number of
employees physically working from the offices at least 5 days a week.
Many Federal employees do not actually sit at their desks at all
because they are out in the field working.
As the bill is currently written, these employees--as well as Federal
employees who have approved alternative work schedules--would not be
included
[[Page H1124]]
in occupancy counts. This amendment makes a slight improvement to that
definition, as was explained by the Representative from Massachusetts.
The effort to count occupants in buildings is worthwhile, but only if
we ensure that all occupants, including those who have been sanctioned
and approved with their alternative work schedules, are included.
This amendment will improve the bill, and I thank the Representative
from Pennsylvania and the Representative from Massachusetts for their
efforts.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3 Offered by Ms. Hageman
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3
printed in part A of House Report 118-419.
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 5, line 18, strike ``and''.
Page 5, line 21, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
Page 5, after line 21, insert the following:
(5) whether occupancy and actual utilization rates are
affected by the remote work and telework policies and
practices of the respective agency.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentlewoman
from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming.
{time} 1500
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in favor of my amendment No.
3 to H.R. 6276, which expands on the bill's reporting requirements to
have the Federal agencies also evaluate whether occupancy and
utilization rates are affected by the agency's remote and telework
policies.
The underlying bill, as drafted, requires Federal agencies and the
General Services Administration, or GSA, to measure and report on
occupancy and utilization in public buildings and federally leased
spaces.
My amendment builds on this reporting requirement and forces the
agencies to measure how telework and remote work impacts the
utilization of its physical office space.
Telework and remote work have long been available to the Federal
workforce, but the wide scale and regular use of such policies
drastically increased during COVID.
Two priorities of this majority have been to return the Federal
workforce to work and to understand how remote and telework impacted
the efficiency of the Federal Government and the services it is
required to provide to our constituents.
The Committee on Oversight and Accountability under the leadership of
Chairmen Comer and Sessions have done great work to accomplish this
goal.
Mr. Perry's bill and other bills reported by the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee measuring the usage of Federal office space
make further meaningful steps in achieving the goals of this majority.
Yet, the agencies have been anything but fully transparent. My
amendment seeks to build on this great work by requiring that the
agencies measure the new age of remote and telework on the usage of
physical government space.
With telework and remote work so widely used in 2024, any study on
the usage of office space would be incomplete without measuring it
against the number of employees which only sometimes or never have to
physically report to work.
This would help Congress understand how much of the Federal office
spaces are actually being used on a regular basis in the post-COVID
world, which would also help us to determine if we need to divest of
physical office space to save taxpayers' dollars and streamline the
Federal Government.
Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to support my amendment, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition
to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Washington is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, section 4 of H.R. 6276 requires
the heads of Federal agencies to submit to the Office of Management and
Budget and the General Services Administration and Congress a report on
the usage of real property.
The amendment that the Representative from Wyoming offers expands the
reporting requirement by including the telework and remote work
practices of the agency and the impact those policies have on
utilization rates and buildings occupied by the respective agency.
It certainly would be helpful for Congress to have a clearer picture
of these policies and practices across the government.
Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I again urge my colleagues to support the
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 4 Offered by Ms. Hageman
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4
printed in of House Report 118-419.
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 4, line 18, insert ``, Personal Identity Verification
badge swipe data isolating only the first credential use of
the day for each cardholder,'' after ``sensors''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentlewoman
from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming.
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in favor of amendment No. 4 to H.R.
6276 which clarifies that the General Services Administration, or GSA,
should use PIV badge swipe data isolating the first credentialed use of
the day for each cardholder as a tool to measure utilization of Federal
office space.
The bill, as currently drafted, explicitly directs GSA to use sensors
and other technologies in public buildings and federally leased space
to measure occupancy and utilization.
The GSA states that occupancy data has proven to be a vital tool for
agencies to accurately evaluate space utilization and to manage
property accordingly.
As part of this effort, the GSA is piloting occupancy data collection
technologies. Another method GSA uses is badge swipe data which relies
on Personal Identity Verification or PIV card swipe data at building
access points.
PIV data is broken down into unique credentials and isolated to the
first usage of the day. In short, it uses a Federal worker's PIV card
to check attendance at the door.
My amendment would clarify that badge swipe data is and should be a
tool GSA uses as part of the measurement of office utilization space.
While occupancy sensors measure the utilization of specific rooms,
according to the GSA, badge swipe data can provide a historic daily
count of the number of unique credential individuals in a space or
building, daily building density based on square foot per person, and
annual rent per person occupying the space.
This is absolutely the type of data we need to achieve the outcomes
of the underlying bill.
The collection of the daily attendance to each Federal office
building, which is then reported to Congress, will also help further
our majority's goal to measure the impact of agencies' telework and
remote work policies.
Again, my amendment is simply to clarify that this important data
collection technology that GSA is piloting is utilized to the extent it
can be in this
[[Page H1125]]
mission to measure usage of government office space.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition
to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Washington is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, section 3 of H.R. 6276 requires
the heads of Federal agencies to work with the Administrator of General
Services to identify, deploy, and use sensors and other technologies to
measure the occupancies of Federal buildings.
The amendment from the Representative from Wyoming will require that
Personal Identity Verification badge swipe data should also be used but
only capture the first credentialed use of the day for each cardholder.
Ensuring that each person is counted one time--not every time they
may leave and return--would provide accurate representation of building
utilization and meet the goals of Congress to better assess the use of
Federal office space.
Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Chairman, just one final statement. This amendment
is to clarify that Congress intends for GSA to use all occupancy data
collection techniques.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I have no further speakers, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. McCormick
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5
printed in House Report 118-419.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Strike section 4 and insert the following:
SEC. 4. REPORTING ON USAGE OF REAL PROPERTY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the heads of
Federal agencies shall submit to the Director, the
Administrator, the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Committee
on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate a report on--
(1) the occupancy and the actual utilization rates of space
in public buildings and federally-leased space occupied by
the respective agency of the Federal agency head broken down
by building and lease;
(2) the methodology used for determining occupancy,
including the period of time and other parameters used to
determine occupancy on a regular basis;
(3) the utilization percentage of each public building and
federally-leased space by the respective agency of the
Federal agency head, comparing the capacity to the actual
utilization rate based on a utilization benchmark of 150
usable square feet per person; and
(4) any costs associated with capacity that exceeds
occupancy with respect to the respective agency of the
Federal agency head.
(b) Publishing Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
heads of Federal agencies shall make each report required
under subsection (a) available on a publicly accessible
website of the General Services Administration.
(2) Exception.--The publishing requirements of paragraph
(1) shall not apply if the head of the respective Federal
agency makes a determination that making the report required
under subsection (a) available on a publicly accessible
website would be detrimental to national security.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. McCormick) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia for 5 minutes.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer my amendment to H.R. 6276,
the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act, or the
USE IT Act of 2023.
My amendment is simple. It would amend section 4 of the bill to make
the reports required by section be made publicly available on a website
operated by the General Services Administration, the GSA, with
exceptions for national security-related reasons.
The American people deserve transparency. Far too often, the people
of this country, the ones who fund the government, the ones we
represent, don't know where their money is going. Taxpayer dollars are
frivolously being used to heat and cool empty and underutilized
government buildings.
The American people see tens of thousands of dollars go out of their
paychecks every year to pay for what: A wide open southern border,
rampant inflation, out-of-control national debt, and an inefficient
bureaucracy.
This is ridiculous. The people deserve to know their money is being
used efficiently. Making these reports on office use publicly available
will increase public oversight on the activities of the Federal
agencies and, in turn, increase public trust and confidence in our
government.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition
to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Washington is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, the amendment offered by the
Representative from Georgia requires some significant reporting on
occupancy, utilization rates, and costs by the heads of Federal
agencies to the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services
Administration, and Congress.
Information gathering and transparency is vital to efficient and
effective governing, so I will not oppose the amendment.
I do want to point out, however, that agency heads are already
required to report occupancy and utilization data, and that data can be
found on GSA's annual performance overview reports on GSA's website
that the public can access now.
Mr. Chair, I will not oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple, easy, and commonsense. I ask for
my colleagues to support this amendment and to support the underlying
bill.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I have no other speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. McCormick).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. McCormick
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6
printed in House Report 118-410.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise as the designee of Mr. Mills, and I
have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 9, after line 5, insert the following:
SEC. 7. GAO REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to Congress a report on the cost to each
Federal agency of measuring the occupancy and actual
utilization rates of space in public buildings and federally-
leased space to prepare the reports required under section 4.
(b) Requirements.--The Comptroller General shall include in
the report required under subsection (a) the cost of
deploying sensors and technologies pursuant to section 3 but
shall exclude any such technologies that were in place before
the date of enactment of this Act.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. McCormick) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I am here today to offer amendment No. 6 to
H.R. 6276, USE IT Act, as the designee of the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Mills).
[[Page H1126]]
I fully support the accountability advanced by the underlying bill.
The continual bloating of the Federal Government's physical footprint
costs American taxpayers obscene amounts of money each year.
This straightforward amendment provides additional transparency to
the bill to ensure that Congress and the American people have the most
fulsome data about the costs associated with this bill's
implementation.
Specifically, this amendment requires the Government Accountability
Office, the GAO, to report on the cost of establishing future
methodologies and technologies to measure Federal building occupancy as
required by the bill.
The enactment excludes any preexisting systems in place before the
date of the enactment of this act to prevent any duplicative
accounting.
As we strive to limit waste, fraud, and abuse in our government, this
amendment ensures that we are doing so with transparency and
accountability in Federal building management.
This bill and the amendment to it are hardly riveting. However, good
governance often requires a willingness to do the mundane
administrative work to keep the ship upright and moving forward.
I will take a second just to say that I wish Mr. Mills could have
been here to offer this important amendment, but he is currently on his
way back from Haiti, after assisting with the evacuation of American
citizens as the country enters a state of complete anarchy. His
commitment to America, domestic and broad, is commendable.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition
to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, section 4 of H.R. 6276 requires
the heads of Federal agencies to submit to the Office of Management and
Budget, the General Services Administration, and Congress a report on
the usage of real property.
The amendment offered by the Representative from Georgia for the
Representative from Florida requires the Government Accountability
Office to report to Congress on the costs to Federal agencies
associated with complying with section 4 of the underlying bill.
The GAO's report must include the cost of Federal agencies of
surveying, monitoring, and deploying sensors and technologies to
measure the occupancy and actual utilization rates of space in public
buildings and space leased by the Federal Government.
Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, just like the last amendment, this
amendment is about transparency and accountability. Once again, I ask
for my colleagues' support on this amendment and on the underlying
bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, we have no further speakers, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. McCormick).
The amendment was agreed to.
{time} 1515
Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Rose
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 7
printed in House Report 118-419.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 9, after line 5, insert the following:
SEC. 7. INVESTIGATION OF UNDERUTILIZED SPACE.
(a) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after
the submission of each report under section 4, the head of
each Federal agency shall submit to the inspector general of
each respective agency a report detailing any public building
or federally-leased space with a capacity of 500 or more
employees under the jurisdiction of such agency that has a
utilization rate below 20 percent during the reporting period
that is not a vacant office building.
(b) Inspector General Investigation.--Upon receipt of a
report under subsection (a), the inspector general of the
relevant Federal agency shall conduct an investigation to
determine whether there is any evidence of fraud, waste,
abuse, or mismanagement with respect to the use of the public
building or federally-leased space identified in the report.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman
from Tennessee (Mr. Rose) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 6276, the USE IT
Act. The USE IT Act is a commonsense bill that requires a report on the
occupancy and actual utilization rates of public buildings and
federally leased spaces occupied by Federal agencies.
The report must also list any costs to taxpayers associated with
capacity that exceeds occupancy.
The USE IT Act also requires the government to sell or dispose of
excess capacity space or consolidate space in buildings with a
utilization rate below 60 percent.
Mr. Chair, Tennesseans are rightfully outraged that their taxpayer
dollars are paying for mostly empty Federal buildings.
Many of the folks I represent show up to work every day to put food
on the table, care for their community, or teach and train the next
generation of leaders. However, for some reason, those in Washington
and around this country who collect a check from their taxpayer-funded
job believe showing up for work is no longer necessary. They are
mistaken.
In a report on the USE IT Act issued by the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, the committee noted that according
to a recent Government Accountability Office, or GAO, report, 17 of the
24 agency headquarters in GAO's review were at 25 percent or less
utilization.
The GAO report also noted that some agency headquarters had as low as
9 percent space utilization--9 percent.
Mr. Chair, think of it this way: A Federal building with an occupancy
of 1,000 may only have 90 people working in it on any given workday.
That is just ridiculous, frankly.
That is why I have offered my amendment, which would build upon the
underlying bill by specifically requiring that Federal agencies report
to inspectors general any large public building or federally leased
spaces with a capacity of 500 employees or more and a utilization rate
below 20 percent during the reporting period in the underlying bill.
My amendment excludes vacant office buildings.
Any large building or federally leased space identified would be
forwarded to the relevant inspector general to conduct an investigation
to determine whether there is any evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, or
mismanagement.
It is simple, Mr. Chair. If a building meant for more than 500 people
is being utilized less than 20 percent, the inspector general must
investigate whether there is fraud, waste, and mismanagement taking
place.
It is unfortunate that although many large Federal office buildings
are operating at frighteningly low occupancy rates, Federal agencies
are not taking steps to increase building utilization rates, actions to
reduce their footprint, or any meaningful movements to reduce the
operating costs of these empty office spaces despite repeated warnings
from Congress to do so.
It is imperative that inspectors general investigate whether waste,
fraud, and mismanagement is taking place in these buildings that aren't
being utilized to ensure that we are spending taxpayer dollars wisely.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in
opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, the amendment offered by the
Representative from Tennessee requires the heads of Federal agencies to
[[Page H1127]]
submit a report to the inspector general of each respective agency on
buildings under the agency's jurisdiction that has capacity for 500 or
more employees that has a 20 percent utilization rate or less.
Upon receipt of the report, the relevant inspector general is to
investigate evidence of fraud, abuse, or mismanagement.
Now, I will say this, I don't know why this amendment is necessary. I
understand the Federal real estate has been on the General Accounting
Office's High-Risk list for years, but nowhere in GAO's reporting were
there claims of fraud, abuse, or mismanagement. Even though this is
only a reporting requirement, requiring the inspector general of every
Federal agency to investigate could be a waste of time and resources.
This amendment seems to be a solution chasing a problem, but I will
not oppose it.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chair, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself
the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Chair, thankfully, the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are
passed us. However, most Federal agencies have not adjusted to this
post-pandemic period, which is reflected in the deserted Federal office
buildings throughout our country.
I hope all Members will support this effort to bring greater
transparency and accountability to large Federal buildings and
federally leased spaces with low utilization rates by supporting my
amendment and the underlying bill.
In closing, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment,
``yes'' on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I will close on this amendment
by briefly speaking to the broader bill. The goal that we share in
Congress is to ensure that Congress, the General Services
Administration, the agencies all adjust to the post-COVID life that we
have in Federal real estate, that we are rightsizing Federal real
estate, and that we get rid of the office space we don't need and use
the office space that we do need.
This amendment is an attempt to do that. I certainly will not oppose
it, but I do ask folks to consider it.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).
The amendment was agreed to.
The Acting CHAIR. There being no further amendments, under the rule,
the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Ms. De
La Cruz) having assumed the chair, Mr. Moylan, Acting Chair of the
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6276) to
direct the Administrator of General Services and the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget to identify the utilization rate of
certain public buildings and federally-leased space, and for other
purposes, and, pursuant to House Resolution 1071, he reported the bill,
as amended by that resolution, back to the House with sundry further
amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
Under the rule, the previous question is ordered.
Is a separate vote demanded on any further amendment reported from
the Committee of the Whole? If not, the Chair will put them en gros.
The amendments were agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further
consideration of H.R. 6276 is postponed.
____________________