[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1211-H1213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPACT OF CRIME ON PUBLIC BUILDING USAGE ACT OF 2023
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 6261) to direct the Comptroller General to
conduct a review on the impact of crime on public building usage, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6261
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 ``Impact of Crime on Public
Building Usage Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON IMPACT OF CRIME ON PUBLIC BUILDING USAGE.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a review and submit to Congress a report outlining--
(1) the effects of increased crime rates and safety
concerns, including use of fentanyl and other drugs and
homelessness, in urban areas on building usage for in-person
work at Federal buildings;
(2) how usage of different commuting modes of
transportation to Federal buildings are affected by increased
crime rates;
(3) the effects of low office utilization rates on safety
around Federal buildings;
(4) any agency exceptions given to the policy set forth in
the memorandum of the Office of Management and Budget titled
``Measuring, Monitoring, and Improving Organizational Health
and Organizational Performance in the Context of Evolving
Agency Work Environments'' and issued on April 13, 2023, due
to unsafe commuting conditions; and
(5) any costs associated with safety issues impacting
Federal building.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON COSTS OF CRIME AROUND PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the inspector general of the General Services
Administration shall submit to Congress a report on the
impacts on and costs associated with building operations
related to crime and public safety in and around Federal
buildings.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Menendez) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Dakota.
General Leave
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R.
6261.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from South Dakota?
There was no objection.
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Periodically, we get 1,000-page bills or 2,000-page bills or 4,000-
page bills that we debate on this floor. It can be a little hard for
the people in the gallery and the people at home to make sense of what
we are doing. This bill is not that.
This excellent piece of legislation from Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer fits on
a single piece of paper. She and I were talking about that, Mr.
Speaker, before we began debate on this bill, about how much good
wisdom is packed into a single page. We will probably talk about the
merits of this legislation for longer than it would take us to read the
entirety of the bill, but it is just that good.
The Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023, which is
this piece of paper, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6261, directs the Government
Accountability Office, or the GAO, to examine how crime in and around
public buildings affects building usage, how it affects how workers
might commute to the office, and how it might impose any additional
costs to maintain those public buildings.
In 2020, Mr. Speaker, we saw crime rates spike across the country. In
many of the downtown areas in many of our States, areas that used to be
bustling with workers became near ghost towns that changed the crime
profile in many of those areas, to be sure.
We are in a little bit different era today, and now we have
differing, conflicting data community by community. In some, crime
rates are continuing to go up. In some, they are going down. In some,
the data might differ between property crimes and violent crimes.
One thing we do know, Mr. Speaker, is that, of course, the crime that
exists can continue to have an impact--a perhaps profound impact--on
how we use our Federal buildings.
I will just give you one example, Mr. Speaker, from perhaps 6 months
ago. In August 2023, employees who worked in a Federal building in San
Francisco were told not to come to work because of safety concerns.
These weren't safety concerns related to an earthquake or to a
blizzard, an occurrence that we might experience at Federal buildings
in South Dakota but not in San Francisco. No, those weren't the safety
concerns. They weren't weather related. They were crime related.
It seems like, as good managers, we would want to better understand
that issue and what we can do to have it be less common in the future.
It is particularly true as we work to bring employees back to the
office. We know there is study after study that shows that people
working in close physical proximity can share real benefits. Remote
work has benefits, too, but as we talk to employees about coming back
to the office in those times and in those places where it makes sense,
it is incumbent upon us to make sure that their public safety is well
cared for--not just when they are in the building, but when they are on
their way to or from work as well.
I thank the bill's sponsor, the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez-
DeRemer). She has exhibited real leadership on this legislation. She
has shown real advocacy to make sure that Federal employees are able to
return safely to Federal office buildings and that, while they are
there, they are effective and efficient.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
[[Page H1212]]
House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and
Accountability,
Washington, DC, March 4, 2024.
Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Graves: Thank you for consulting with the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The Committee on
Oversight and Accountability agrees to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 6261, the Impact of Crime on
Public Building Usage Act of 2023, so that it may proceed
expeditiously to the House Floor.
I agree that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 6261 at
this time, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability does
not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained
in this or similar legislation. The Committee on Oversight
and Accountability should be appropriately consulted and
involved on this or similar legislation as it moves forward.
I support your effort to represent the House Committee on
Oversight and Accountability on the conference committee if a
conference on the bill becomes necessary.
As discussed, I appreciate your inclusion of a copy of our
exchange of letters on this bill in the bill report filed by
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and in the
Congressional Record during House floor consideration
thereof. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this bill
and look forward to future opportunities to work together on
matters of shared jurisdiction.
Sincerely,
James Comer,
Chairman.
____
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, March 4, 2024.
Hon. James Comer,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Accountability,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Comer: I write to you concerning H.R. 6261,
the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023. The
bill was referred primarily to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, with additional referrals
to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the
Committee on the Judiciary.
I ask that you allow the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability to be discharged from further consideration of
the bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader.
This discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the
subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as
precedent for futural referrals. In addition, should a
conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your
request to have the Committee on Committee on Oversight and
Accountability represented on the conference committee.
Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any
response in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration, to memorialize our understanding.
Thank you for your consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, March 4, 2024.
Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, House
of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Graves: I write regarding H.R. 6261, the
Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023.
Provisions of this bill fall within the Judiciary Committee's
Rule X jurisdiction, and I appreciate that you consulted with
us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that
it shall be discharged from further consideration of the bill
so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.
The Committee takes this action with the understanding that
forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in
any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any
future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their
subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment
of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a
conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar
legislation.
I ask that you please include this letter in your
committee's report to accompany this legislation or insert
this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration
of H.R. 6261 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative
manner in which our committees have worked on this matter,
and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future
on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your
attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Jordan,
Chairman.
____
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, March 4, 2024.
Hon. Jim Jordan,
Chairman, Committee on Judiciary,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Jordan: Thank you for your letter regarding
H.R. 6261, the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act
of 2023. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively
to ensure that H.R. 6261 is considered expeditiously before
the House of Representatives.
In response to your letter, I recognize that this bill
contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the
Committee on the Judiciary. I also acknowledge that the
Committee on the Judiciary's decision to forgo consideration
would not prejudice your Committee regarding the appointment
of conferees, to any future jurisdictional claim over the
subject matter contained in the bill, or to similar
legislation falling under you Committee's Rule X
jurisdiction. In addition, should a conference on this bill
become necessary, I would support your request to have
members of the Committee on the Judiciary represented on the
conference committee.
I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included our
Committee report to accompany this legislation and in the
Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 6261 on the
House floor. Thank you again, I appreciate your cooperation
regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to
work with you as this measure moves through the legislative
process.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves,
Chairman.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6261. This bill introduced by
my colleague, Representative Chavez-DeRemer, directs the Government
Accountability Office to study and report to Congress on the effects
that crime and safety concerns have on in-person work in Federal
buildings.
Federal buildings must be safe and secure places for Federal
employees, contractors, and the American public.
Evaluating the safety in and around Federal buildings is a good idea.
I recommend that the GAO gather and include in the report data from the
Federal Protective Service, the agency responsible for protecting
Federal buildings and assessing the security of Federal buildings, as
well as the employees who populate them.
I also recommend that GAO include the Office of the Inspector General
of the Department of Homeland Security in the development of the
report. DHS' OIG has access to historical data and current trends which
may assist in the evaluation of the impacts noted in the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to
do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer).
Mrs. CHAVEZ-DeREMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
6261, which would commission a Federal study on public safety issues in
and around public office buildings.
In Oregon and in communities across the country, rampant fentanyl use
and homelessness understandably cause workers to worry about their
safety, and some just might choose to stay home as a result.
Public buildings are running parallel to private buildings. Let me
quote from an article in Willamette Week from August 16, 2023--I know
my colleague recognized San Francisco--titled:
Empty and Unwanted, the Iconic Buildings of Portland's
Skyline Are in Trouble. The question--and it is a contentious
one--is whether Portland is worse than any place else because
of blight. Plywood that went up during the protests is still
there. Homeless camps that took root during the pandemic are
only now being removed. On some downtown blocks, you will see
someone smoking fentanyl while drinking a Frappuccino.
That has the same effect on our Federal buildings. Additionally, the
GAO would be required to examine any costs that are associated with
safety issues at these buildings.
To make more informed spending decisions on Federal real estate
moving forward, Congress needs to understand how factors like crime
contribute to building costs and employee decisions.
H.R. 6261 will shine a light on public safety concerns and help
Congress identify improvements that can be made to protect Federal
workers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, Federal buildings must be safe and secure
places for Federal employees, contractors, and the American public.
I believe evaluating the safety in and around Federal buildings is a
good idea, which is why I support this bill and encourage my colleagues
to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
[[Page H1213]]
{time} 1715
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance
of my time for closing.
As we encourage Federal employees to return to an in-person working
posture, at those times when it is appropriate, it is crucial that we
ensure that they are coming back to a safe work environment.
I urge support of H.R. 6261 so we can ultimately address the unsafe
working conditions deterring employees from returning to work.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6261.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________