[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5568-H5569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REUSE EXCESS PROPERTY ACT
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 2685) to make data and internal guidance on excess personal
property publicly available, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2685
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 ``Reuse Excess Property Act''.
SEC. 2. REPORTING ON EXCESS PERSONAL PROPERTY.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 40,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in section 529--
(A) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by inserting ``and the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability of the House of
Representatives'' after ``Administrator of General
Services''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Compilation of Data.--Not later than 180 days
following the close of a fiscal year, the Administrator shall
compile the data in the reports submitted under subsection
(a) and submit to the Committee on Homeland Security
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives
and publish on a centralized online website a publicly
available report, which shall include--
``(1) the complete data provided in each report in a user-
friendly format;
``(2) a summary of the findings of each report, including
the aggregate dollar amount of personal property determined
to be no longer required for the purpose of the appropriation
used to make the purchase; and
``(3) any other recommendations from the Administrator.'';
and
(2) by inserting after section 529 the following:
``Sec. 530. Internal guidance on excess personal property
``(a) Initial Report.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this section, each executive agency
shall submit to the Administrator of General Services and
make publicly available on the website of the executive
agency the internal guidance of the executive agency on
considering using excess personal property to meet the needs
of the executive agency, which shall include--
``(1) a requirement to consider excess personal property
before buying new;
``(2) when it is practicable to check for and obtain excess
personal property;
``(3) how to evaluate the suitability of excess personal
property for use; and
``(4) defined roles and responsibilities relevant to
considering the use of excess personal property, including
the designation of an employee as responsible for searching
through available excess personal property for items that
meet the needs of the executive agency.
``(b) Updates.--Each executive agency shall submit to the
Administrator of General Services and update on the website
of the executive agency any changes to the internal guidance
submitted and made available under subsection (a).''.
(b) Report on Interagency Working Group.--Not later than
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Administrator of General Services shall publish a publicly
available report on a centralized online website that
includes a summary of findings from the interagency working
group on the acquisition of personal property that was first
convened in February 2023 on ways to improve the use of
excess personal property.
(c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of
sections for chapter 5 of title 40, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 529
the following:
``530. Internal guidance on excess personal property.''.
(d) GAO Report.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives
a report that evaluates the frequency with which executive
agencies (as defined in section 102 of title 40, United
States Code) acquire personal property that was made,
produced, or manufactured by any entity, including any
corporation, that is organized under the laws of, is
headquartered in, or has its principal place of business in
the People's Republic of China, including any Special
Administrative Region.
(e) Sunset.--Effective the date that is 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, chapter 5 of title 40, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) in section 529--
(A) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability of the House of
Representatives''; and
(B) by striking subsection (c);
(2) by striking section 530; and
(3) in the table of sections, by striking the item relating
to section 530.
(f) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are
authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of carrying out
this Act or the amendments made by this Act.
[[Page H5569]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.
General Leave
Mr. LaTURNER. 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 this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as the largest single purchaser of goods and services in
the world, Federal agencies acquire billions of dollars of personal
property, ranging from office supplies to automobiles, each year.
Unfortunately, agencies routinely and wastefully dispose of excess
personal property that could otherwise be repurposed for continued
Federal agency use.
Agencies are already required to consider the availability of excess
personal property before buying new products. This excess personal
property is available to agencies at no cost, apart from any necessary
transportation expenses.
In a June 2022 report, the Government Accountability Office found
that agencies are continuing to acquire new property while not using
available excess personal property. GAO's findings indicate that the
guidance in the existing Federal Management Regulation, or FMR, alone
may not be sufficient.
With better direction from Congress, agencies can be more efficient
in leveraging excess personal property to meet their needs and
ultimately save taxpayer dollars.
The Reuse Excess Property Act would hold agencies more accountable
toward efficiently using and reusing personal property by introducing
transparency and accountability mechanisms.
Specifically, this bill would reform existing statutory reporting
requirements to the General Services Administration on excess personal
property and require GSA to make this information publicly available.
This will help decisionmakers and taxpayers better understand the
extent to which agencies are working to cut wasteful spending through
the use of excess property, informing future policy.
Because GAO found that agencies have varied guidance on the use of
excess personal property that often neglects essential FMR components,
S. 2685 would require agencies to publicly report their guidance. Such
guidance must include essential FMR components outlined by GAO.
Agencies must also designate an employee as responsible for searching
through available excess personal property for items that meet agency
needs.
In response to GAO's report, in February 2023, GSA convened the first
meeting of an interagency working group to assess how agencies acquire
personal property, uncover obstacles, and recommend improvements to
policies for acquisition professionals. This bill would require GSA to
make the findings of that working group, including a general summary,
publicly available to provide full transparency into efforts to promote
the maximum use of excess personal property.
In conclusion, this bill shines a light on agency practices and could
incentivize more efficient use of excess personal property, saving
untold taxpayer dollars in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McClain for her leadership on the
House companion of this legislation, H.R. 8276.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1230
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the Reuse Excess Property Act, which
would dramatically increase transparency across the Federal Government
by strengthening Federal reporting requirements about excess personal
property.
I commend Senators Peters and Lankford for introducing it and
Chairwoman McClain and Ranking Member Katie Porter for introducing the
House counterpart.
The Federal Government has amassed billions of dollars in personal
property, including furniture, things like chairs and desks, vehicles,
office supplies, and medical equipment. Billions of dollars means a lot
of tables and chairs and computers.
Federal agencies are required to survey and index their inventories
of personal property annually and identify items they no longer need.
This accounting enables agencies to have a better understanding of
excess items that could be considered for use in other Federal agencies
or institutions, which is obviously the prudent thing to do.
The GAO identified $3.9 billion in excess personal property between
FY 2016 and FY 2020 and found an additional $28.9 billion in excess
personal property items that were reported but not obtained by other
agencies.
These excess items could be transferred to other Federal agencies and
departments, distributed to a State or local government, or even sold
to the public. It shouldn't just be sitting there.
The Reuse Excess Property Act would increase Federal reporting
requirements to Congress and the public and provide greater
transparency of acquisition, monitoring, reuse, and disposal of
personal property across the whole Federal Government. It directs the
GSA and Federal agencies to report annually to Congress data that it
collects related to excess personal property and would also make this
data publicly available to all of us.
This greater transparency around Federal use of personal property may
help agencies make far more efficient use of these items.
We support this financially prudent and commonsense bipartisan
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, we urge all of our colleagues to support
this legislation and for all Federal agencies to cooperate and
aggressively participate in this program.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 2685.
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.
____________________