[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20479-20480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   EXTENDING RELOCATION EXPENSES TEST PROGRAMS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the Senate bill (S. 2146) to extend relocation expenses test programs 
for Federal employees.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 2146

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF RELOCATION EXPENSES TEST PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--Section 5739 of title 5, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``for a period not to 
     exceed 24 months''; and
       (2) in subsection (e), by striking ``7 years'' and 
     inserting ``11 years''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect as though enacted as part of the Travel and 
     Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-264; 112 
     Stat. 2350).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2146, which was introduced 
by Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan 
Collins last December.
  This legislation would extend the authority for the General Services 
Administration to conduct relocation expenses test programs for Federal 
employees for an additional 4 years.
  The Customs and Border Patrol agency has long supported this 
legislation to help them relocate Border Patrol agents in a cost-
efficient and timely manner, thereby allowing the transferee to get 
settled and focused on the new assignment as soon as possible. The 
capability to efficiently relocate personnel, while simultaneously 
minimizing costs, would be a significant benefit to the Federal 
agencies as they continue to recruit and retain a highly skilled 
workforce.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that the CBO estimates an 
extension of the pilot program reauthorization would produce savings to 
the Federal Government of approximately $15 million annually.
  It is rare within the Federal personnel world to come across a 
program that produces a savings for the government and is valued by the 
workforce.
  I urge my colleagues to support S. 2146.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2146. This bill would provide 
the authority of the General Services Administration to extend pilot 
programs on the relocation expenses of Federal employees for an 
additional 4 years. The Federal Government spends more than $800 
million each year to relocate its employees, and reducing those 
expenses has long been a goal of Congress.
  Under the pilot program, agencies are given the flexibility to 
experiment on how to reimburse relocation expenses. Two agencies are 
currently participating in the pilot program. These agencies generally 
provide lump-sum payments so employees are not required to keep 
receipts and then be reimbursed.
  This test program has shown promise in reducing relocation expenses 
so the House should join the Senate in extending this pilot.

[[Page 20480]]

  I urge my colleagues to support S. 2146.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support passage of 
S. 2146, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 2146.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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