Duncan and Moore Introduce Bill to Dispose of Unneeded, Unused Federal Property

Washington, DC -- Representatives John J. Duncan Jr. (R-TN) and Dennis Moore (D-KS) this week introduced The Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act, a bill aimed at reducing the number of unneeded properties in the federal portfolio. 

According to the Office of Management Budget, the Federal government possesses more than 21,000 unused properties and assets worth over $18 billion.  It costs federal agencies around $130 million annually to maintain these properties.

A report issued by the Government Accountability Office last year also revealed that many properties in the federal inventory are no longer necessary for agency missions.  The report also indicated that the costs of preparing a property for disposal, including environmental cleanup, demolition, and historical preservation, prevent some agencies from disposing of properties they no longer need.

The legislation introduced by Duncan and Moore, H.R. 5787, would address this burden by tapping the resources and expertise of the General Services Administration (GSA) for preparing properties for sale or transfer.  This legislation would also allow agencies to keep the proceeds from the sale of these properties, and reinvest that money in future asset management. 

“I am pleased that my colleague from Kansas shares my views on the need to rid the government of billions of dollars worth of property that is no longer needed,” said Duncan.  “While I would like to see this property moved expeditiously, which was the intent of the legislation that I originally introduced, this new collaboration will hopefully help agencies that could not otherwise handle the burden of disposing of it.”

“By removing unneeded and underused properties from the federal inventory, we will both reduce this burden on the American taxpayer and increase the efficiency of federal agencies, while providing an opportunity for more of these properties to be put to more productive use at the local and state level,” Moore said.

BACKGROUND:

The Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act would:

Allow the GSA to assist agencies by fulfilling the administrative requirements and paying for the upfront costs of preparing properties to be reported excess.
Give the GSA the authority to take control of and sell properties that are transferred back to the government when those properties are not appropriately utilized following the public benefit conveyance process.
Permit all federal landholding agencies to keep the proceeds they receive from the sale of surplus property, minus the cost of reimbursing the GSA for its preparation costs, for future asset management and disposal activities.
Not change existing authorities permitting the transfer of properties to other federal agencies, homeless groups, or state and local governments.

Representative Duncan introduced similar legislation last year.  The bill, H.R. 3049, would create a five-year pilot program to direct federal agencies to expedite the sale of properties that are no longer of use to the federal government.