USDA headquarters in Washington DC. The bill would create a government-wide pilot project under which agencies could sublease such property to entities including other federal agencies or agencies of local or state government. Image: Kelleher Photography/Shutterstock.com
A bill (S-211) to test leasing out of federal real estate and other property that is underused but has not been declared disposable as excess would produce revenue that agencies could use for deferred maintenance and improvements to their facilities, according to a Senate report.
“While Congress has passed major legislative reforms regarding federal property over the last ten years, these efforts have not fully accounted for the untapped potential of underutilized non-excess property,” it says. “For instance, agency campuses may have extra space they cannot sell, but which could provide an optimal home for capital generating opportunities, such as cell towers and solar panels.”
“Some agencies may also have excess space and equipment they need part time but would otherwise be well-suited to university or private partnerships,” it says.
The Senate passed the bill, sending it to the House, as one of its last actions before beginning a recess that will last until after Labor Day.
The bill would create a government-wide pilot project under which agencies could sublease such property to entities including other federal agencies or agencies of local or state government. It would be up to the GSA to determine the fair market value and make sure it is charged, with the proceeds to be put in a working capital fund to be used for maintenance, capital revitalization, and improvements to the real and related personal property at the subleasing agency.
It builds on a pilot program at NASA which the report said generated millions of dollars that NASA used to fund projects and maintenance and avoided a long and complex process of disposing of unneeded property through declaring it excess.
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