89–006 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 116–147 

TRANSPARENCY IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS PROJECTS ACT 

OF 2019 

JULY 11, 2019.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. DEFAZIO, from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 2502] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 2502) to amend title 40, United States 

Code, to require certain prospectuses for public buildings to be 

made publicly available, and for other purposes, having considered 

the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose of Legislation ............................................................................................. 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 2 

Legislative History and Consideration .................................................................. 2 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 2 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 3 

New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures ...................................................... 3 

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .......................................................... 3 

Performance Goals and Objectives ......................................................................... 4 

Duplication of Federal Programs ............................................................................ 4 

Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits ... 4 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 4 

Preemption Clarification ......................................................................................... 4 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 4 

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 5 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 5 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 5 

2 

PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

The purpose of H.R. 2502, the Transparency in Federal Buildings 

Projects Act of 2019, is to require the General Services Administration (GSA) to publish on its website all prospectuses for leasing, design, or construction activities which the GSA—pursuant to Chapter 33 of Title 40, United States Code sections 3307 and 3316—has 

submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure and the U.S. Senate Committee 

on Environment and Public Works. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 2502, the Transparency in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 

2019, requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to publish on its website all prospectuses for leasing, design, or construction activities. While GSA does publish some of this material on its 

website, the information is difficult to access and not updated regularly. The legislation requires the Administrator of General Services to maintain the information for no less than ten years in a 

readable, accessible, and searchable format. The information must 

also be updated quarterly. The legislation also requires GSA to 

maintain copies and approval dates of Committee resolutions, as 

appropriate, approving the respective projects. This legislation will 

result in greater transparency with respect to information regarding projects exceeding the prospectus threshold pursuant to Chapter 33 of Title 40 and make such projects more accountable to the 

public and to oversight. 

HEARINGS

No hearings were held on H.R. 2502 in the 116th Congress. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

H.R. 2502 was introduced in the House on May 2, 2019, by Mr. 

Gary Palmer, and referred to the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure. Within the Committee, H.R. 2502 was referred to 

the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and 

Emergency Management. 

On May 8, 2019, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, 

Public Buildings, and Emergency Management was discharged 

from further consideration of H.R. 2502. 

The Full Committee met in open session to consider H.R. 2502 

on May 8, 2019, and ordered the measure to be reported favorably 

to the House, without amendment, by voice vote, with a quorum 

present. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires each committee report to include the total number of 

votes cast for and against on each record vote on a motion to report 

and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, and the 

names of those members voting for and against. 

There were no recorded votes taken in connection with consideration of H.R. 2502. 

3 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in this report. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely 

submitted prior to the filing of the report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is included in this report. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the 

enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2502 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, May 16, 2019. 

Hon. PETER A. DEFAZIO, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2502, the Transparency 

in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 2019. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew Pickford. 

Sincerely, 

MARK P. HADLEY

(For Keith Hall, Director). 

Enclosure. 


Insert offset folio 5 here HR147.001
4 

H.R. 2502 would require the General Services Administration 

(GSA) to make available to the public all prospectus documents for 

the lease, design, construction, or other actions related to federal 

facilities that have been submitted to the Congress. The GSA 

website already provides much of this information and CBO estimates that any administrative costs associated with providing additional information would total less than $500,000 over the 2020– 

2024 period. Any spending would be subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew Pickford. The 

estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the performance goal 

and objective of this legislation is to amend title 40, United States 

Code, to require certain prospectuses for public buildings to be 

made publicly available, and for other purposes. 

DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 

2502 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another federal program, a program that was included in any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public 

Law 111–139, or a program related to a program identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. 

CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED

TARIFF BENEFITS

In compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional 

earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 

in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule XXI. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 

pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(Public Law 104–4). 

PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the 

report of any Committee on a bill or joint resolution to include a 

statement on the extent to which the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, or tribal law. The Committee finds 

that H.R. 2502 does not preempt any state, local, or tribal law. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation. 

5 

APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the 

terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or 

accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104–1). 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that this bill may be cited as the ‘‘Transparency in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 2019’’. 

Sec. 2. Public availability of building project information 

This section amends Chapter 33 of Title 40, United States Code, 

by adding a new section which requires the Administrator of General Services—180 days after the date of enactment of this section—to make publicly available on a subpage of the website of the 

General Services Administration all prospectuses submitted pursuant to sections 3307 and 3316, in an easily accessible and readable, 

organized, downloadable, and searchable format. The information 

is to be updated quarterly, kept for ten years, and must include approval dates of respective authorizing resolutions by each committee of jurisdiction, if applicable, and cross-references to any resubmitted or amended prospectuses and associated resolutions. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is printed in italic 

and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 

roman): 

TITLE 40, UNITED STATES CODE 

* * * * * * * 

SUBTITLE II—PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WORKS 

* * * * * * * 

PART A—GENERAL 

* * * * * * * 

CHAPTER 33—ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, AND 

ALTERATION 

Sec. 

3301. Definitions and nonapplication. 

* * * * * * * 

3318. Availability of Federal building project information. 

* * * * * * * 

6 

SEC. 3318. AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL BUILDING PROJECT INFORMATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, and, at a minimum, on a quarterly basis thereafter, the Administrator shall make publicly available on a subpage 

of the website of the General Services Administration all 

prospectuses submitted pursuant to sections 3307 and 3316, and associated information subject to the following requirements: 

(1) The Administrator shall maintain such information in an 

easily accessible and readable, organized, downloadable, and 

searchable format. 

(2) The Administrator shall ensure the information is current 

and prospectuses and associated information updated on a regular basis. 

(3) The information required under this section shall be inclusive for a period of not less than 10 years. 

(4) The information shall include— 

(A) the last date on which the relevant webpage was updated; 

(B) approval dates of respective authorizing resolutions 

by each committee of jurisdiction, if applicable; 

(C) copies of respective committee of jurisdiction resolutions authorizing such prospectuses, as appropriate; 

(D) cross-references to any resubmitted or amended 

prospectuses and associated resolutions; and 

(E) such other information as determined by the Administrator. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following definitions apply: 

(1) PROSPECTUS.—The term ‘‘prospectus’’ means prospectuses, 

building surveys, and factsheets submitted to the committees of 

jurisdiction pursuant to sections 3307 and 3316. 

(2) COMMITTEES OF JURISDICTION.—The term ‘‘committees of 

jurisdiction’’ means the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

on Environment and Public Works of the Senate. 

(3) ASSOCIATED INFORMATION.—The term ‘‘associated information’’ means resolutions approved by the committees of jurisdiction and other information as required pursuant to subsection (a). 

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