Title: To establish a pilot program to execute lease agreements using alternative procedures, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
This bill modifies requirements regarding leases for federal buildings. It directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish, and operate through 2024, a pilot program to execute lease agreements using alternative procedures to (1) reduce the costs to the government of leased space, including by improving office space utilization rates of federal tenants; and (2) significantly reduce or eliminate the backlog of expiring leases over the next five years.
The GSA shall furnish simplified procedures for the leasing of real property at rates that do not exceed $500,000.
The bill provides for (1) waiver of space-planning and housing-cost requirements concerning building projects subject to congressional approval, and (2) consolidation of projects into a single prospectus to achieve efficiencies and improve utilization rates.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3158 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3158

    To establish a pilot program to execute lease agreements using 
            alternative procedures, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 2019

Mr. Meadows (for himself and Mr. Pence) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a pilot program to execute lease agreements using 
            alternative procedures, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. STREAMLINED LEASING PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Execution of Leases.--The Administrator of General Services 
shall establish and conduct a pilot program to execute lease agreements 
using alternative procedures pursuant to authority provided under 
section 585 of title 40, United States Code, and pursuant to the 
provisions of this section.
    (b) Goals of Procedures.--The goals of the alternative procedures 
are--
            (1) reducing the costs to the Government of leased space, 
        including--
                    (A) executing long-term leases with firm terms of 
                10 years or more and reducing costly holdover and 
                short-term lease extensions, including short firm term 
                leases;
                    (B) improving office space utilization rates of 
                Federal tenants; and
                    (C) streamlining and simplifying the leasing 
                process to take advantage of real estate markets; and
            (2) significantly reducing or eliminating the backlog of 
        expiring leases over the next 5 years.
    (c) Leasehold Interests in Real Property.--
            (1) Simplified procedures.--Notwithstanding subsection (b) 
        of section 3305 of title 41, United States Code, but otherwise 
        in accordance with such section, the Administrator shall 
        provide special simplified procedures for acquisitions of 
        leasehold interests in real property at rental rates that do 
        not exceed the simplified lease acquisition threshold, as 
        defined in paragraph (2). The rental rate under a multiyear 
        lease does not exceed the simplified lease acquisition 
        threshold if the average annual amount of the rent payable for 
        the period of the lease does not exceed such threshold.
            (2) Acquisition threshold.--For purposes of this section, 
        the simplified lease acquisition threshold is $500,000.
    (d) Consolidated Lease Prospectuses.--The Administrator may, when 
acquiring leasehold interests subject to section 3307 of title 40, 
United States Code, transmit, pursuant to subsection (b) of such 
section, to the committees designated in such section for approval of a 
prospectus to acquire leased space, and waive the requirements pursuant 
to paragraphs (3) and (6) of section 3307(b), subject to the following 
requirements:
            (1) Cost per square footage.--The cost per square footage 
        does not exceed the maximum proposed rental rate designated for 
        the respective geographical area.
            (2) Space utilization.--The overall space utilization rate 
        is 170 usable square feet per person or less based on actual 
        agency staffing levels when occupied.
            (3) Lease term.--The lease firm term is 10 years or 
        greater.
            (4) Geographic location.--The geographical location is 
        identified as having a large amount of square footage of 
        Federal office space and lease turnover and will likely result 
        in providing for the ability, on a timely basis, of the agency 
        to consolidate space effectively or meet any requirements for 
        temporary or interim space required for planned consolidations.
            (5) Submarkets.--Agencies may consider space in submarket 
        locations that meet mission requirements.
    (e) Consolidations Generally.--The Administrator may consolidate 
more than one project into a single prospectus submitted pursuant to 
section 3307(b) of title 40, United States Code, if such consolidation 
will facilitate efficiencies and reductions in overall space and 
improved utilization rates.
    (f) Waiver Authority.--The Administrator may--
            (1) waive notice and comment rulemaking, if the 
        Administrator determines the waiver is necessary to implement 
        this section expeditiously; and
            (2) carry out the alternative procedures under this section 
        as a pilot program.
    (g) Reports.--
            (1) Annual reports.--During the period in which the pilot 
        program is conducted under this section, the Administrator 
        shall submit, annually, to the Committee on Transportation and 
        Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a 
        progress report that provides updates on the number and square 
        footage of leases expiring in the 5-year period beginning on 
        the date of enactment of this Act, by agency and region, and 
        which shall include for the expiring leases--
                    (A) an average of the lease terms, including firm 
                terms, for leases executed; and
                    (B) the percentage of leases managed in-house or 
                through the use of commercial real estate leasing 
                services.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 180 days after 
        termination of the pilot program, the Administrator shall 
        submit a final report to the Committee on Transportation and 
        Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate. The 
        final report shall include--
                    (A) a review and evaluation of the lease agreements 
                executed under the alternative procedures established 
                pursuant to this section in comparison to those 
                agreements not executed pursuant to the alternative 
                procedures;
                    (B) recommendations on any permanent changes to the 
                General Services Administration's leasing authority; 
                and
                    (C) a progress evaluation in meeting the goals 
                described in subsection (b).
    (h) Termination.--The authorities under this section shall 
terminate on December 31, 2024.
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