Title: A bill to reduce the amount provided to agencies that do not comply with reasonable vehicle utilization standards and to establish methods and procedures for evaluating vehicle fleets.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
This bill reduces funding for executive agencies that do not comply with reasonable vehicle utilization standards and establish uniform methods and procedures for evaluating vehicle fleets.
Specifically, the bill directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish vehicle usage standards for the executive branch and uniform methods and procedures (1) for use by agencies in determining the appropriate size of their vehicle fleet, and (2) that require the vehicle fleet management component of the agency to maintain the procedures and documentation for deciding to keep a vehicle in an easily accessible manner.
The GSA must make publicly available the government-wide vehicle usage standards, including documentation requirements and metrics, and the uniform vehicle fleet methods and procedures.
An agency may establish and implement separate vehicle usage standards, subject to annual review by the GSA. The bill provides for a reduction in budget for weaker standards or for failure to implement standards.
The bill requires (1) each agency to document an annual review of the vehicle fleet to identify underutilized vehicles and actions taken to remove such vehicles from the fleet or a justification for their continued use, and (2) the inspector general of each agency to conduct audits at least once every two years of vehicle fleet management practices.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4776 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4776

   To reduce the amount provided to agencies that do not comply with 
 reasonable vehicle utilization standards and to establish methods and 
               procedures for evaluating vehicle fleets.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            September 30 (legislative day, October 29), 2020

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Lankford, and Mr. King) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
               Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To reduce the amount provided to agencies that do not comply with 
 reasonable vehicle utilization standards and to establish methods and 
               procedures for evaluating vehicle fleets.

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

SECTION 1. VEHICLE FLEET UTILIZATION.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        General Services;
            (2) the term ``baseline vehicle budget for the vehicle 
        fleet management component'' means the lesser of--
                    (A) the sum, as determined by the Director of the 
                Office of Management and Budget, of--
                            (i) the total dollar amount obligated by 
                        the vehicle fleet management component to 
                        purchase, maintain, and operate vehicles in 
                        fiscal year 2019; and
                            (ii) the total dollar amount obligated by 
                        the vehicle fleet management component to 
                        lease, maintain, and operate vehicles in fiscal 
                        year 2019; and
                    (B) the annual average, as determined by the 
                Director of the Office of Management and Budget, of the 
                sum of--
                            (i) the total dollar amount obligated by 
                        the vehicle fleet management component to 
                        purchase, maintain, and operate vehicles during 
                        the last 3 full fiscal years before the date of 
                        enactment of this Act; and
                            (ii) the total dollar amount obligated by 
                        the vehicle fleet management component to 
                        lease, maintain, and operate vehicles during 
                        the last 3 full fiscal years before the date of 
                        enactment of this Act; and
            (3) the term ``executive agency'' means an agency, as 
        defined under section 551 of title 5, United States Code, that 
        is in the executive branch;
            (4) the term ``Government-wide vehicle usage standards'' 
        means the vehicle usage standards established by the 
        Administrator under subsection (b)(1)(A);
            (5) the term ``uniform vehicle fleet methods and 
        procedures'' means the methods and procedures established by 
        the Administrator under subsection (b)(1)(B); and
            (6) the term ``vehicle fleet management component'' means 
        the agency, office, or component of an executive agency that 
        establishes requirements and manages expenditures with respect 
        to the use of vehicles by officers and employees of the 
        executive agency.
    (b) Establishment of Standards and Methods and Procedures.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator--
                    (A) shall establish vehicle usage standards for the 
                executive branch of the Federal Government; and
                    (B) in consultation with the Director of the Office 
                of Management and Budget, shall establish uniform 
                methods and procedures for use by executive agencies--
                            (i) in--
                                    (I) determining the appropriate 
                                size of the vehicle fleet of the 
                                executive agency;
                                    (II) determining whether to lease 
                                or purchase a vehicle;
                                    (III) assessing the utilization of 
                                vehicles by the executive agency; and
                                    (IV) documenting a decision to keep 
                                a vehicle that does not meet the 
                                vehicle utilization criteria; and
                            (ii) that require the vehicle fleet 
                        management component of the executive agency to 
                        maintain the procedures and the documentation 
                        described in clause (i)(IV) in an easily 
                        accessible manner.
            (2) Contents.--The Government-wide vehicle usage 
        standards--
                    (A) shall include annual mileage minimums of 12,000 
                miles for passenger vehicles and 10,000 miles for light 
                trucks; and
                    (B) may include additional standards, including 
                number of trips per month and number of passengers per 
                month.
            (3) Publication.--The Administrator shall make publicly 
        available the Government-wide vehicle usage standards, 
        including documentation requirements and metrics, and the 
        uniform vehicle fleet methods and procedures.
    (c) Implementation of Standards.--
            (1) Alternative standards.--
                    (A) In general.--An executive agency may establish 
                and implement separate vehicle usage standards for the 
                executive agency.
                    (B) Review.--
                            (i) In general.--Any vehicle usage 
                        standards implemented by an executive agency as 
                        described in subparagraph (A) shall be reviewed 
                        annually by the Administrator to ensure an 
                        optimal fleet profile.
                            (ii) Provision of information.--The 
                        Administrator shall establish a process for 
                        obtaining information from executive agencies 
                        on vehicle utilization before making a 
                        determination under subparagraph (C).
                    (C) Reduction in budget for weaker standards.--
                            (i) In general.--For any fiscal year for 
                        which the Administrator determines that the 
                        vehicle usage standards implemented by an 
                        executive agency as described in subparagraph 
                        (A) are less stringent than the Government-wide 
                        vehicle usage standards, the vehicle fleet 
                        management component of the executive agency 
                        may not obligate for the purchase or lease of 
                        vehicles more than the amount equal to 90 
                        percent of the baseline vehicle budget for the 
                        vehicle fleet management component.
                            (ii) Appeals process.--The Director shall 
                        provide an appeal process under which an 
                        executive agency may appeal a determination 
                        under clause (i) on the basis that the mission 
                        profile of the executive agency requires a less 
                        stringent vehicle usage standard. If such an 
                        appeal is successful, the amount that may be 
                        obligated for the purchase of lease of vehicles 
                        shall not be reduced under clause (i).
            (2) Failure to implement standards.--For any fiscal year 
        for which the Administrator determines that an executive agency 
        does not have vehicle usage standards in effect, the vehicle 
        fleet management component of the executive agency may not 
        obligate for the purchase or lease of vehicles more than the 
        amount equal to 80 percent of the baseline vehicle budget for 
        the vehicle fleet management component.
    (d) Implementation of Methods and Procedures.--
            (1) In general.--The head of each executive agency shall 
        ensure that--
                    (A) the uniform vehicle fleet methods and 
                procedures are implemented by the executive agency, 
                consistent with internal control standards;
                    (B) supporting documentation is made publicly 
                available regarding--
                            (i) any determination of the appropriate 
                        size of the vehicle fleet of the executive 
                        agency; and
                            (ii) the justification for any deviation 
                        from the Government-wide vehicle usage 
                        standards; and
                    (C) the vehicle fleet management component of the 
                executive agency maintains the procedures described in 
                subparagraph (A) and the documentation described in 
                subparagraph (B) in an easily accessible manner.
            (2) Underutilization review.--The head of each executive 
        agency shall document--
                    (A) an annual review of the vehicle fleet of the 
                executive agency to identify underutilized vehicles; 
                and
                    (B) actions taken to remove underutilized vehicles 
                from the vehicle fleet or a justification for the 
                continued use of the underutilized vehicles.
            (3) Audits.--Not less frequently than once every 2 years, 
        the Inspector General of each executive agency shall--
                    (A) conduct an audit of the vehicle fleet 
                management practices of the executive agency evaluating 
                compliance with this section;
                    (B) submit to each committee of either House of 
                Congress with jurisdiction of the activities or funding 
                of the executive agency and the Administrator a report 
                regarding the audit; and
                    (C) make publicly available a report regarding the 
                audit.
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