Should Congress require at least 60% public building use?
The bill seeks to ensure efficient use of space in federally-owned buildings by requiring the Administrator of General Services and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to create a method to measure occupancy in public buildings, as well as use sensors and other technologies to measure in public buildings. It would also require an annual report on occupancy and use of public buildings, as well as a comparison between the capacity of each building and the real use it is having. The bill would require buildings to be used by at least 60% of their total capacity. Sponsor: Rep. Scott Perry (Republican, Pennsylvania, District 10)
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Opponents say
• At the time of research and publication, no official opponent statements were found. This does not necessarily mean that nobody opposes the bill, nor does it mean that statements won’t be made in the future.
Proponents say
• "Many of our federal agencies have alarmingly low utilization rates of office space, including one agency that used just nine percent of its office capacity over a three-week stretch studied by the GAO. I’m proud that Committee members worked across the aisle on these bills to consolidate space and reduce waste, save taxpayers money when it comes to federal office buildings, and improve building safety and security" Source: Rep. Sam Graves (Republican, Missouri, District 6)
• "By shining a light on the General Service Administration’s use of office space and requiring congressional approval for rent hikes, we can ensure the federal government isn’t wasting Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars on unused and unnecessary real estate [...] At the same time, I want to ensure federal employees don’t feel threatened or endangered in or around the workplace. These efforts will help improve safety for our federal workforce while reining in spending." Source: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Republican, Oregon, District 5)
- T&I Members Introduce Bills to Reduce Waste in Federal Office Space and Improve Building Security (Press Release)
- Downtown D.C.’s Large Federal Office Are Underutilized, Report Finds (The Washington Post)
- How Does an Occupancy Sensor Work? (AZO Sensors)
- GSA Accelerates Plans to Offload Federal Buildings It No Longer Needs (Federal News Network)
- Rep. Scott Perry’s largest donors (OpenSecrets)
