[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9521-9523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     STREAMLINING DHS OVERHEAD ACT

  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2190) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct 
the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of Homeland 
Security to make certain improvements in managing the Department's real 
property portfolio, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2190

       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 ``Streamlining DHS Overhead 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. LONG TERM REAL PROPERTY STRATEGIES.

       (a) In General.--Title VII of the Homeland Security Act of 
     2002 (6 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following new sections:

     ``SEC. 710. CHIEF FACILITIES AND LOGISTICS OFFICER.

       ``(a) In General.--There is a Chief Facilities and 
     Logistics Officer of the Department who shall report directly 
     to the Under Secretary for Management. The Chief Facilities 
     and Logistics Officer shall be career reserved for a member 
     of the senior executive service.
       ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Chief Facilities and Logistics 
     Officer shall--
       ``(1) develop policies and procedures and provide program 
     oversight to manage real property, facilities, personal 
     property, mobile assets, equipment, and other material 
     resources of the Department;
       ``(2) manage and execute, in consultation with the 
     component heads, mission support services within the National 
     Capital Region for real property, facilities, and other 
     common headquarters and field activities for the Department; 
     and
       ``(3) provide tactical and transactional services for the 
     Department, including transportation, facility operations, 
     and maintenance.

     ``SEC. 711. LONG TERM REAL PROPERTY STRATEGIES.

       ``(a) In General.--
       ``(1) First strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary 
     for Management shall develop an initial 5-year regional real 
     property strategy for the Department that covers the five 
     fiscal years immediately following such date of enactment. 
     Such strategy shall be geographically organized, as 
     designated by the Under Secretary for Management.
       ``(2) Second strategy.--Not later than the first day of the 
     fourth fiscal year covered by the first strategy under 
     paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Management shall 
     develop a second 5-year real property strategy for the 
     Department that covers the five fiscal years immediately 
     following the conclusion of such first strategy.
       ``(b) Requirements.--
       ``(1) Initial strategy.--The initial 5-year strategy 
     developed in accordance with paragraph (1) of subsection (a) 
     shall--
       ``(A) identify opportunities to consolidate real property, 
     optimize the usage of Federal assets, and decrease the number 
     of commercial leases and square footage within the 
     Department's real property portfolio;
       ``(B) provide alternate housing and consolidation plans to 
     increase efficiency through joint use of Department spaces 
     while decreasing the cost of leased space;
       ``(C) concentrate on geographical areas with a significant 
     Department presence, as identified by the Under Secretary for 
     Management;
       ``(D) examine the establishment of central Department 
     locations in each such geographical region and the co-
     location of Department components based on the mission sets 
     and responsibilities of such components;
       ``(E) identify opportunities to reduce overhead costs 
     through co-location or consolidation of real property 
     interests or mission support activities, such as shared mail 
     screening and processing, centralized transportation and 
     shuttle services, regional transit benefit programs, common 
     contracting for custodial and other services, and leveraging 
     strategic sourcing contracts and sharing of specialized 
     facilities, such as training facilities and resources;
       ``(F) manage the current Department Workspace Standard for 
     Office Space in accordance with the Department office 
     workspace design process to develop the most efficient and 
     effective spaces within the workspace standard usable square 
     foot ranges for all leased for office space entered into on 
     or after the date of the enactment of this section, including 
     the renewal of any leases for office space existing as of 
     such date;
       ``(G) define, based on square footage, what constitutes a 
     major real property acquisition;
       ``(H) prioritize actions to be taken to improve the 
     operations and management of the Department's real property 
     inventory, based on life-cycle cost estimations, in 
     consultation with component heads; and
       ``(I) include any additional information determined 
     appropriate or relevant by the Under Secretary for 
     Management.
       ``(2) Second strategy.--The second 5-year strategy 
     developed in accordance with paragraph (2) of subsection (a) 
     shall include information required in subparagraphs (A), (B), 
     (C), (E), (F), (G), (H), and (I) of paragraph (1)

[[Page 9522]]

     and information on the effectiveness of implementation 
     efforts pursuant to the Department-wide policy required in 
     accordance with subsection (c), including--
       ``(A) the impact of such implementation on departmental 
     operations and costs; and
       ``(B) the degree to which the Department established 
     central Department locations and co-located Department 
     components pursuant to the results of the examination 
     required by subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1).
       ``(c) Implementation Policies.--Not later than 90 days 
     after the development of each of the regional real property 
     strategies developed in accordance with subsection (a), the 
     Under Secretary for Management shall develop or update, as 
     applicable, a Department-wide policy implementing such 
     strategies.
       ``(d) Certifications.--Subject to subsection (g)(3), the 
     implementation policies developed pursuant to subsection (c) 
     shall require component heads to certify to the Under 
     Secretary for Management that such heads have complied with 
     the requirements specified in subsection (b) before making 
     any major real property decision or recommendation, as 
     defined by the Under Secretary, including matters related to 
     new leased space, renewing any existing leases, or agreeing 
     to extend or newly occupy any Federal space or new 
     construction, in accordance with the applicable regional real 
     property strategy developed in accordance with subsection 
     (a).
       ``(e) Underutilized Space.--
       ``(1) In general.--The implementing policies developed 
     pursuant to subsection (c) shall require component heads, 
     acting through regional property managers under subsection 
     (f), to annually report to the Under Secretary for Management 
     on underutilized space and identify space that may be made 
     available for use, as applicable, by other components or 
     Federal agencies.
       ``(2) Exception.--The Under Secretary for Management may 
     grant an exception to the workspace standard usable square 
     foot ranges described in subsection (b)(1)(F) for specific 
     office locations at which a reduction or elimination of 
     otherwise underutilized space would negatively impact a 
     component's ability to execute its mission based on readiness 
     performance measures or would increase the cost of such 
     space.
       ``(3) Underutilized space defined.--In this subsection, the 
     term `underutilized space' means any space with respect to 
     which utilization is greater than the workplace standard 
     usable square foot ranges pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(F).
       ``(f) Component Responsibilities.--
       ``(1) Regional property managers.--Each component head 
     shall identify a senior career employee of each such 
     component for each geographic region included in the regional 
     real property strategies developed in accordance with 
     subsection (a) to serve as each such component's regional 
     property manager. Each such regional property manager shall 
     serve as a single point of contact for Department 
     headquarters and other Department components for all real 
     property matters relating to each such component within the 
     region in which each such component is located, and provide 
     data and any other support necessary for the DHS Regional 
     Mission Support Coordinator strategic asset and portfolio 
     planning and execution.
       ``(2) Data.--Regional property managers under paragraph (1) 
     shall provide annually to the Under Secretary for Management, 
     via a standardized and centralized system, data on each 
     component's real property holdings, as specified by the 
     Undersecretary for Management, including relating to 
     underutilized space under subsection (e) (as such term is 
     defined in such subsection), total square footage leased, 
     annual cost, and total number of staff, for each geographic 
     region included in the regional real property strategies 
     developed in accordance with subsection (a).
       ``(g) Ongoing Oversight.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Management shall 
     monitor components' adherence to the regional real property 
     strategies developed in accordance with subsection (a) and 
     the implementation policies developed pursuant to subsection 
     (c).
       ``(2) Annual review.--The Under Secretary for Management 
     shall annually review the data submitted pursuant to 
     subsection (f)(2) to ensure all underutilized space (as such 
     term is defined in subsection (e)) is properly identified.
       ``(3) Certification review.--The Under Secretary for 
     Management shall review, and if appropriate, approve, 
     component certifications under subsection (d) before such 
     components may make any major real property decision, 
     including matters related to new leased space, renewing any 
     existing leases, or agreeing to extend or newly occupy any 
     Federal space or new construction, in accordance with the 
     applicable regional real property strategy developed in 
     accordance with subsection (a).
       ``(4) Congressional reporting.--The Under Secretary for 
     Management shall annually provide information to the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Inspector General 
     of the Department on the Department's real property 
     portfolio, including information relating to the following:
       ``(A) A summary of the Department's real property holdings 
     in each region described in the regional strategies developed 
     in accordance with subsection (a), and for each such 
     property, information including the total square footage 
     leased, the total cost, the total number of staff at each 
     such property, and the square foot per person utilization 
     rate for office space (and whether or not such conforms with 
     the workspace standard usable square foot ranges established 
     pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(F)).
       ``(B) An accounting of all underutilized space (as such 
     term is defined in subsection (e)).
       ``(C) An accounting of all instances in which the 
     Department or its components consolidated their real property 
     holdings or co-located with another entity within the 
     Department.
       ``(D) A list of all certifications provided pursuant to 
     subsection (d) and all such certifications approved pursuant 
     to paragraph (3) of this subsection.
       ``(5) Inspector general review.--Not later than 120 days 
     after the last day of the fifth fiscal year covered in each 
     of the initial and second regional real property strategies 
     developed in accordance with subsection (a), the Inspector 
     General of the Department shall review the information 
     submitted pursuant to paragraph (4) and issue findings 
     regarding the effectiveness of the implementation of the 
     Department-wide policy and oversight efforts of the 
     management of real property facilities, personal property, 
     mobile assets, equipment and the Department's other material 
     resources as required under this section.''.
       (b) Reporting.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate copies of the regional 
     strategies developed in accordance with section 710(a) of the 
     Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as added by subsection (a) of 
     this section) not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     development of each such strategy.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by 
     inserting after the item relating to section 709 the 
     following new items:

``Sec. 710. Chief Facilities and Logistics Officer.
``Sec. 711. Long term real property strategies.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Rutherford) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. 
Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2190, the 
Streamlining DHS Overhead Act.
  Despite being the Nation's third largest Federal department, the 
Department of Homeland Security continues to struggle with challenges 
from its integration of 22 different Federal departments and agencies.
  One example of these challenges is the Department's management of its 
real estate portfolio. DHS pays $2 billion a year to occupy more than 
100 million square feet of space. Weak internal oversight and a lack of 
property management processes have further intensified the problem.
  Collaboration and coordination is important in these instances, and 
doing nothing has led to a footprint larger than what DHS needs to 
carry out its mission.
  This legislation directly addresses these challenges by mandating the 
development of regional real property strategies that focus on 
consolidating leases, where appropriate, to the mission. It also gives 
the Under Secretary for Management oversight tools to ensure DHS 
property is being managed efficiently.
  Another important part of this legislation is its outlining of 
responsibilities for the Chief Facilities and Logistics Officer to 
achieve cost savings.
  As we have seen from the 2-year majority staff investigation, 
increased accountability and promoting efficiency

[[Page 9523]]

is needed so DHS can more effectively use its resources to focus on its 
mission of securing the homeland while also saving taxpayer funds.
  Improving the Department's operation and promoting efficiencies 
within its real property portfolio is an issue that both sides of the 
aisle and the Department should be able to work together on.
  H.R. 2190 is commonsense legislation. I urge my colleagues' support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1915

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2190, the Streamlining DHS 
Overhead Act. Each year, the Department of Homeland Security spends 
nearly one-fourth of its entire budget on acquisitions.
  DHS has a vast and diversified portfolio of assets and real property. 
Given the importance of these assets to DHS' mission, it is essential 
that DHS manage its real property investments efficiently and 
effectively. This legislation establishes a chief facilities and 
logistics officer to not only oversee real property, but to seek 
efficiencies in how the properties are managed.
  H.R. 2190 also requires a 5-year regional real property strategy to 
help decisionmakers pinpoint opportunities to reduce overhead costs 
through co-location or consolidation efforts. This bipartisan bill was 
approved unanimously by the Committee on Homeland Security on May 3.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge passage of H.R. 2190, Streamlining 
DHS Overhead Act. Enactment of this legislation conveys our interest in 
ensuring that the Department makes smart choices when it comes to 
managing its vast real estate property portfolio.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
2190, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2190, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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