[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 146 (Monday, September 8, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3876-H3877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1710
SHARED PROPERTY AGENCY COLLABORATION AND ENGAGEMENT ACT OF 2025
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3424) to require the Administrator of the General Services
Administration to collaborate with Federal tenants with respect to
shared-space arrangements, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3424
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 ``Shared Property Agency
Collaboration and Engagement Act of 2025'' or the ``SPACE Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. GSA COLLABORATION WITH FEDERAL TENANTS.
(a) In General.--In carrying out section 2302 of the Thomas
R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (40 U.S.C.
584 note), the Administrator of the General Services
Administration shall--
(1) collaborate with tenants of federally-leased space to
better identify concerns among Federal agencies around
shared-space arrangements;
(2) work to develop a criteria that would facilitate the
expanded use of space-sharing or collocating;
(3) identify how special-use spaces can be used to improve
space-sharing or collocating; and
(4) establish measurable objectives, in consultation with
the tenants of federally-leased space, to quantify the
success of shared-space arrangements among Federal agencies.
(b) Briefing.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and
Public Works of the Senate on the implementation of the
requirements described in subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
[[Page H3877]]
Michigan (Mr. Barrett) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. BARRETT. 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 in the Record on H.R. 3424.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3424, the Shared Property Agency Collaboration and
Engagement Act of 2025, or SPACE Act, directs the Administrator of the
Government Services Administration, the GSA, to work with Federal
tenants to develop a criteria that facilitates the expanded use of
space sharing or collocating.
This legislation also directs the GSA Administrator to establish
measurable objectives to quantify the success of the shared-space
framework.
The SPACE Act achieves this by building upon the important public
building reforms that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
made last Congress in the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development
Act of 2024.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder) for his
leadership on this bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3424, the Shared Property Agency
Collaboration and Engagement Act of 2025, the SPACE Act.
This bill requires the Administrator of the GSA to develop new
criteria to help expand the use of office space sharing for Federal
agencies. By sharing amenities, space, and services, Federal agencies
can use shared-space arrangements to make the most effective use of
government-owned real estate. This bill is about efficiency.
A pilot program conducted by GSA allowed six offices across the
country to provide ready-to-use spaces conducive to cross-government
collaboration while saving taxpayer dollars by reducing operational
costs for Federal agencies.
This legislation will allow GSA to expand on these efforts by
establishing standards for shared office spaces and measuring the
success of this initiative.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill to ensure that we are good stewards
of taxpayer funding when it comes to Federal real estate, and I
encourage all Members to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Onder).
Mr. ONDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today in support of my
bill, H.R. 3424, the Shared Property Agency Collaboration and
Engagement Act, or SPACE Act.
I am grateful to Congressman Chris Pappas for co-leading this
bipartisan effort to bring greater efficiency and accountability to
Federal Government real estate decisions.
Mr. Speaker, the GSA currently manages more than 8,300 owned and
leased assets, totaling over 363 million square feet. Yet, many of
these facilities are underused, duplicative, or poorly maintained.
Agencies often operate in silos. One agency leases new office space
while another has empty square footage in the same city. There is no
coordinated system to ensure that agencies share space or consolidate
operations when possible. That lack of communication leads to waste of
taxpayer dollars.
That is why the SPACE Act directs the Administrator of the GSA to
identify barriers to Federal agencies sharing space in federally owned
or leased buildings and to develop solutions to overcome those
barriers. This includes examining logistical, legal, regulatory, or
cultural hurdles that prevent our agencies from entering into shared-
use agreements, even when that would save money and improve efficiency.
Once the Administrator completes this review, the GSA will report its
findings and recommendations to the relevant committees of jurisdiction
in both the House and the Senate.
This is a fiscally responsible, good government reform. It doesn't
grow government; it makes existing government work smarter. We
shouldn't be asking taxpayers to fund more buildings when the Federal
Government already has plenty of space that is being mismanaged or
ignored.
The SPACE Act promotes better use of what we already own by reducing
waste and protecting taxpayer dollars. This is not a new idea. The GAO,
the Public Buildings Reform Board, and numerous oversight bodies have
repeatedly recommended this kind of interagency coordination in order
to reduce costs and improve property management. The SPACE Act puts
those recommendations into action and establishes a clear process to
identifying opportunities and delivering results.
Again, I thank Congressman Pappas for working with me on this
legislation. This is the kind of commonsense, bipartisan approach that
shows that we can work together to fix real problems without adding
bureaucracy or spending more money.
The SPACE Act is about accountability and stewardship. It says to
Federal agencies: Before you ask for more, use what you already have
and work with your neighbors to do it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
support H.R. 3424 and to help us to move this important reform forward
today.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3424, the SPACE Act. I
encourage my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this legislation will help improve the
Federal Government's use of shared space and save taxpayer dollars. By
building on the success of the last Congress, we can continue to
implement policies that ensure that we are good stewards of our
taxpayer resources and hold agencies accountable for the effective and
efficient use of our Federal real estate portfolio.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 3424, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3424.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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