I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4968 
To require executive agencies to notify the public and consider public comment 
before relocating an office of the agency that has regular contact with 
the public, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 15, 2016 
Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To require executive agencies to notify the public and con-
sider public comment before relocating an office of the 
agency that has regular contact with the public, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preserving Public Ac-
cess to Federal Buildings Act of 2016’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO RELOCATION OF 
CERTAIN FEDERAL OFFICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An executive agency shall provide 
notice to the public and an opportunity for public com-
ment before relocating an office of the agency if the office 
has regular contact with the public. 
(b) COVERED RELOCATIONS.—Subsection (a) shall 
apply to— 
(1) a relocation proposed by an executive agen-
cy; or 
(2) a reassignment of office space of an execu-
tive agency by the Administrator of General Serv-
ices. 
(c) INITIAL DETERMINATION AND PLAN.— 
(1) INITIAL DETERMINATION.—Before an exec-
utive agency provides notice of the relocation of an 
office under subsection (a), the agency shall deter-
mine if the agency expects the relocation to impact 
the ability of the office’s clientele to access services 
provided by the office. 
(2) INITIAL PLAN.—If the agency determines 
under paragraph (1) that such relocation is expected 
to have such impact, the agency shall develop an ini-
tial plan to address the impact. 
(d) NOTICE AND COMMENT.— 
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(1) RECIPIENTS.—In providing notice of the re-
location of an office under subsection (a), an execu-
tive agency shall ensure that the notice is received 
by— 
(A) entities that regularly serve the clien-
tele of the office, including nonprofit organiza-
tions and advocacy groups; 
(B) local media outlets; 
(C) Members of Congress that represent 
the area where the office is located; and 
(D) the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure and the Committee on Oversight 
and Government Reform of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen-
ate. 
(2) CONTENT.—If an initial plan was developed 
under subsection (c)(2), the notice shall include a 
description of the initial plan. 
(e) SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC INTEREST.—If, after an 
executive agency provides notice of the relocation of an 
office under subsection (a), the relocation receives sub-
stantial public interest, the agency shall— 
(1) conduct an in-depth evaluation of the poten-
tial impact of the relocation on the ability of the of-
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fice’s clientele to access services provided by the of-
fice, particularly with respect to minority groups, 
persons with disabilities, the elderly, and the eco-
nomically disadvantaged; 
(2) develop a plan to address such impact or re-
vise an initial plan developed under subsection 
(c)(2); and 
(3) publish the results of the evaluation and a 
description of the plan on the public website of the 
agency. 
(f) GUIDANCE ON TERMS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation 
with the Administrator of General Services and the Fed-
eral Real Property Council, shall issue guidance for agen-
cies on the meaning of each of the terms ‘‘regular contact 
with the public’’ and ‘‘substantial public interest’’ for pur-
poses of this section. 
(g) EXECUTIVE AGENCY DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘executive agency’’ means— 
(1) an executive department or independent es-
tablishment in the executive branch of the Govern-
ment; and 
(2) a wholly owned Government corporation. 
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(h) APPLICATION.—Subsection (a) shall apply to the 
relocation of an office of an executive agency initiated on 
or after the date that is 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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