H.R. 10305: Strengthening Oversight in Public Buildings Act

This bill would make a few changes to how the federal government tracks, reviews, and uses office and public building space.

What it would do

• Give the Government Accountability Office (GAO) more access to information. The bill would require the Director and Administrator to provide the Comptroller General with all data and reports collected under the existing public buildings oversight program.
• Expand reporting on agencies with independent leasing authority. Within one year, the Director would have to send Congress and the Comptroller General a list of all federal agencies that can lease office space on their own, even if they are not covered by the usual leasing rules.
• Require those agencies to be notified of and follow the oversight requirements. The bill says the Director must make sure agencies with independent leasing authority know about the requirements and comply with them.
• Allow a federal building to be kept temporarily as “swing space.” “Swing space” means temporary space used while another federal building is being sold or heavily renovated. The bill would let the General Services Administration (GSA) keep a building for that purpose if the cost of keeping it does not exceed the savings from selling or renovating other buildings, and if GSA submits annual plans to Congress about how the building will be used.
• Extend the work of the Public Buildings Reform Board. The bill would push back the board’s current sunset date from December 31, 2026 to December 31, 2028.
• Give the Reform Board access to utilization data. The Office of Management and Budget and GSA would have to provide the board with all relevant data and reports collected under the same oversight program.

In plain terms

The bill is mainly about giving Congress, GAO, and the Public Buildings Reform Board better access to data so they can oversee how federal agencies use office space. It also makes it easier for the government to keep one building open temporarily as backup space while other buildings are sold or renovated, and it keeps the Reform Board operating for two more years.

Relevant Companies

None found