U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

59–010 

" ! SENATE 

114TH CONGRESS

2d Session 

REPORT

2016

114–227 

Calendar No. 387 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION 

ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 1638 

TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO SUBMIT 

TO CONGRESS INFORMATION ON THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION PROJECT IN 

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

MARCH 14, 2016.—Ordered to be printed 


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(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin, Chairman 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

ROB PORTMAN, Ohio 

RAND PAUL, Kentucky 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming 

KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire 

JONI ERNST, Iowa 

BEN SASSE, Nebraska 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey 

GARY C. PETERS, Michigan 

CHRISTOPHER R. HIXON, Staff Director 

GABRIELLE D’ADAMO SINGER, Chief Counsel 

DAVID S. LUCKEY, Director of Homeland Security 

WILLIAM H.W. MCKENNA, Chief Counsel for Homeland Security 

JEFFREY A. FIORE, U.S. Government Accountability Office Detailee 

GABRIELLE A. BATKIN, Minority Staff Director 

JOHN P. KILVINGTON, Minority Deputy Staff Director 

MARY BETH SCHULTZ, Minority Chief Counsel 

STEPHEN R. VIN ̃ A, Minority Chief Counsel for Homeland Security 

LAURA W. KILBRIDE, Chief Clerk 


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Calendar No. 387 

114TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT " ! 2d Session 114–227 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS 

CONSOLIDATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015 

MARCH 14, 2016.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. JOHNSON, from the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1638] 

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 

to which was referred the bill (S. 1638) to direct the Secretary of 

Homeland Security to submit to Congress information on the Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation project 

in the National Capital Region, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments and 

recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose and Summary .................................................................................. 1 

II. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................... 2 

III. Legislative History ......................................................................................... 3 

IV. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 3 

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 4 

VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ................................................ 4 

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

I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of S. 1638, the Department of Homeland Security 

Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015, is to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or ‘‘the Department’’) to provide information on its progress toward completing its 

headquarters consolidation project. The bill directs the Secretary of 

Homeland Security (the Secretary), in coordination with the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), to submit to Congress information within 120 days of enactment of the 

Act about the DHS headquarters consolidation project, including an 


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1Pub. L. No. 107–296, 116 Stat. 2135. 

2Gov’t Accountability Office, GAO–14–648, Federal Real Property: DHS and GSA Need To 

Strengthen the Management of DHS Headquarters Consolidation 3–4 (2014). 3 Id. 4 Id. at 1. 5 Id. at 4. 6 Id. at passim. 7 E.g., id. at 48. 8 Id. at 45–46. 9 Id. at 18. 

updated list of the components and offices to be included in the 

project, a comprehensive assessment of the current and future real 

property required by DHS, and updated cost and schedule estimates. The bill will further enhance congressional oversight of the 

headquarters consolidation project by directing the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the quality and reliability of the 

updated cost and schedule estimates. 

II. BACKGROUND AND THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 sought to improve coordination and information sharing among Federal agencies with responsibilities for protecting the homeland by, among other things, combining 22 Federal agencies into one department—DHS.1 However, 

the agencies that comprise DHS operate from numerous facilitates 

across the National Capital Region, making collaboration, operations, and communication difficult.2 For example, in 2014, DHS 

employees operated from 94 buildings and 50 locations in the National Capital Region.3 The DHS headquarters consolidation 

project, initiated by DHS in 2006, is intended to consolidate the Department’s leadership, operational management, and other personnel to one location at the St. Elizabeths Campus in Washington, 

D.C.4 The project has a number of valuable objectives, including 

improving mission effectiveness, creating a unified DHS organization, and reducing long-term facility costs.5

However, the headquarters consolidation project has experienced 

significant problems including cost overruns, delays, and funding 

shortfalls.6 For example, as of September 2014, the project was estimated to cost $4.5 billion and conclude in 2026, which represented a $1.2 billion increase and an 11-year delay from initial 

estimates in 2007.7 In addition, GAO recommended in its 2014 report that DHS and GSA develop: (1) ‘‘a comprehensive needs assessment and gap analysis of current and needed capabilities that 

take into consideration changing conditions, and an alternatives 

analysis that identifies the costs and benefits of leasing and construction alternatives for the remainder of the project’’, and (2) ‘‘revised cost and schedule estimates for the remaining portions of the 

consolidation project that conform to GSA guidance and leading 

practices for cost and schedule estimation, including an independent evaluation of the estimates.’’ 8 GAO further stated that, 

until these recommendations are addressed by DHS and GSA, Congress will be limited in its ability to make informed decisions regarding the headquarters consolidation project.9

The Administration’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget request included 

an ‘‘Enhanced Plan’’, addressing some of GAO’s recommendations. 

The Enhanced Plan seeks a reduction in overall project costs 


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10Gen. Servs. Admin., Prospectus—Construction: Department of Homeland Security, Consolidation at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC (Feb. 2, 2015), available at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/209735/fileName/2016. 11Gen. Servs. Admin., GSA: Data Shows Why Fully Funding St. Elizabeths Enhanced Plan 

in FY16 is the Right Decision (2015), available at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/118958. 

through the more efficient utilization of space.10 GSA reported that 

the plan will reduce costs by more than $800 million, provide an 

accelerated delivery timeline for the project and add 3,000 employees to the campus, reducing the size of the campus and saving taxpayers an estimated $1.2 billion over 30 years when compared to 

the best alternative commercial lease option.11 While the enhanced 

plan provides Congress with some of the information outlined in 

the GAO’s report, this legislation ensures that DHS and GSA fully 

address GAO’s recommendations and provide Congress the additional information needed to make sound decisions regarding the 

headquarters consolidation project. 

III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Chairman Johnson introduced S. 1638 with Ranking Minority 

Member Carper on June 18, 2015, and the bill was referred to the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Representative Mark Walker introduced H.R. 1640, the House companion to S. 1638, on March 25, 2015. The Committee considered 

S. 1638 at a business meeting on June 24, 2015. 

The Committee ordered the bill reported favorably by voice vote. 

Senators present for the vote were: Johnson, McCain, Lankford, 

Ayotte, Ernst, Sasse, Carper, Tester, Baldwin, and Heitkamp. Consistent with the Committee’s order on technical and conforming 

changes at the meeting, the Committee reports the bill with a technical amendment by mutual agreement of the full Committee majority and minority staff. 

IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE BILL, AS REPORTED

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides the bill’s short title, the ‘‘Department of 

Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act 

of 2015.’’ 

Section 2. Information on Department of Homeland Security Headquarters consolidation project 

Subsection (a) directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator of GSA, to provide to Congress an updated list of the 

components and offices to be included in the consolidation project; 

a comprehensive assessment of the current and future real property and facilities required by DHS; updated cost and schedule estimates; a plan for the leased portfolio of DHS in the National Capital Region; and the costs and benefits of leasing and construction 

alternatives for the remainder of the consolidation project. 

Subsection (b) directs the Comptroller General to assess the quality and reliability of the cost and schedule estimates prepared by 

DHS and GSA. 

Subsection (c) defines several terms, including ‘‘National Capital 

Region’’ and ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress.’’ 


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V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of 

the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has considered 

the regulatory impact of this bill and determined that the bill will 

have no regulatory impact within the meaning of the rules. The 

Committee agrees with the Congressional Budget Office’s statement that the bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

JULY 6, 2015. 

Hon. RON JOHNSON, 

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1638, the Department of 

Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act 

of 2015. 

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

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Grabowicz. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

S. 1638—Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015 

S. 1638 would require the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) to prepare a report to the Congress on the project to consolidate DHS headquarters within the national capital region, including updated timelines and cost estimates. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the 

DHS estimates of project costs and schedules and to report its findings to the Congress. 

Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1638 would cost less than $500,000; any spending 

would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Much of 

the information needed for the DHS and GAO reports has already 

been compiled. Because enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

S. 1638 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

On June 3, 2015, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 1640, 

the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation 

Accountability Act of 2015, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on May 20, 2015. The two bills are 

similar and CBO’s estimates of the budgetary effects are the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. The 

estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 


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VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

Because this legislation would not repeal or amend any provision 

of current law, it would make no changes in existing law within the 

meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 

Standing Rules of the Senate. 

Æ 


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