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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Smart Space Act of 2026, committees such as Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, members such as David J. Taylor.
Issued
March 24, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7388) to direct the Administrator of General Services to convene consultation meetings to identify alternative financing solutions for the construction of new public buildings that will reduce costs to the Federal Government, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7388
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Smart Space Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS.
(a) Meetings and Consultations.—Not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of
General Services shall convene consultation meetings to
identify alternative financing solutions for the construction
or renovation of public buildings, or necessary work to
prepare such buildings for disposal that will reduce costs to
the Federal Government.
(b) Meetings.—In convening consultation meetings under
subsection (a), the Administrator shall include—
(1) experts related to private commercial real estate;
(2) experts related to Federal real estate; and
(3) if available, State, including the District of
Columbia, real estate experts experienced with leveraging
private financing for public buildings and facilities.
(c) Report and Recommendations.—Not later than 120 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator
shall submit to the President—
(1) recommendations on types of public-private partnerships
and alternative financing methods best suited for meeting the
public building needs of the Federal Government; and
(2) a list of recommended projects related to public
buildings for which such methods should be used with details
on which methods and types of public-private partnerships are
recommended for each project.
(d) Recommended Project List.—In submitting a list of
recommended projects under subsection (c)(2), the
Administrator shall submit projects that the Administrator
determines—
(1) serve core missions of the Federal Government for which
maintaining the functions in federally owned space over the
long-term is critical;
(2) will result in either consolidations or relocations of
Federal departments or agencies out of costly, inefficient,
and underutilized space that the Administrator intends to
sell or dispose of once vacated; and
(3) with respect to standard office space, will result in
meeting a minimum building utilization of 60 percent or
greater as defined in section 2302 of the Thomas R. Carper
Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (40 U.S.C. 584 note).
(e) Transparency.—
(1) Report.—The Administrator shall submit the report
under subsection (c) to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure in the House and the Committee on Environment
and Public Works in the Senate and make such report publicly
available on the website of the General Services
Administration.
(2) Timeline.—The Administrator of General Services shall
maintain on the website of the General Services
Administration information on the process under this Act,
including any timelines and milestones.
(3) Delays.—The Administrator shall report directly to the
President and Congress any delays with respect to the timing
and milestones described in paragraph (2).
(4) Meetings.—Meetings pursuant to subsection (a) shall be
noticed and open to the public and shall not be subject to
chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code.
(f) Definitions.—In this Act:
(1) Alternative financing; public-private partnership.—The
terms “alternative financing” and “public-private
partnership” may include—
(A) agreements that reflect an obligation by a non-Federal
entity to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain an
asset, or a combination thereof; and
(B) a ground-lease to a non-Federal party with a subsequent
lease back of the improvements.
(2) Public building.—The term “public building” has the
meaning given such term in section 3301 of title 40, United
States Code.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 7388, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7388, the Smart Space Act of 2026, directs the Administrator of General Services to consult with real estate experts on how alternative financing and public-private partnerships can be used for public building projects to reduce costs to the taxpayer.
Last year, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 was signed into law. That legislation included significant public buildings reforms that have the potential to save billions of dollars for taxpayers.
reforms to reduce costly space, a key challenge agencies have faced is funding activities that may be needed before buildings can be sold and agencies relocated to less expensive space.
and Infrastructure, as well as reports by the Government Accountability Office and the Public Buildings Reform Board, have revealed billions of dollars in liabilities associated with our owned real estate assets due to deferred maintenance accumulated over the years.
don't rely on increasing taxpayer dollars for the space consolidation efforts.
real estate experts, to recommend alternative financing solutions and provide a list of projects for which those solutions would make sense. This will provide the President and Congress with information on viable options to address the challenge of acquiring the capital needed to prepare buildings for sale and reduce the liability to the taxpayer.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Burlison) for his leadership on this important issue. I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1550
Mr. STANTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7388, the Smart Space Act, as amended.
are now, on average, over 52 years old, and many of the buildings have not undergone any significant modernizations since they were constructed.
In 2025, the GAO reported that GSA has a $6.1 billion deferred maintenance and repair backlog.
backlog was approximately $50 billion. Whether the cost to repair GSA's buildings is $6.1 billion or $50 billion, GSA does not currently have the funding. The Smart Space Act is intended to address this
solutions for the construction, renovation, or, when necessary, disposal of public buildings.
partnerships, or “P3s,” to procure energy savings and facility improvements with no upfront capital costs or appropriations from Congress.
public-private partnership can help deliver high-cost, technically complex projects more quickly, leverage private-sector resources and expertise, and reduce construction and operational risks for the Federal Government.
H.R. 7388, as amended, directs GSA to convene consultation meetings with real estate experts to identify alternative financing solutions for the construction or renovation of public buildings. Learning from experts is always a good thing.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Burlison), the author of this legislation.
Mr. BURLISON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support my bill, the Smart Space Act of 2026, legislation that modernizes how the Federal Government manages its real estate portfolio.
underutilized and outdated Federal buildings, while hardworking American taxpayers are left to cover the costs of their repair, upkeep, and maintenance.
dollars, then Congress must also be serious about how the Federal Government manages its real estate.
This is exactly what the Smart Space Act is designed to do.
convene real estate experts to identify alternative financing solutions for acquisition of or disposal of Federal properties through leveraging public-private partnership.
sector and State governments for years to modernize infrastructure while keeping costs at bay.
minimize taxpayer exposure, and deliver reliable infrastructure more efficiently than traditional Federal procurement methods.
or spend a single taxpayer dollar. Instead, it creates a framework for disciplined decisionmaking while retaining full congressional and Presidential oversight.
partnerships, which is both a practical and responsible step toward modernizing our Federal infrastructure while ensuring fiscal discipline.
taxpayer, and bringing common sense to how the Federal Government finances its core assets.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Graves for his leadership and commitment to advancing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 7388, the Smart Space Act, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this legislation will help identify alternative financing solutions for real estate projects, thereby reducing costs and liabilities to taxpayers.
H.R. 7388 is a commonsense solution that ensures agencies can continue to responsibly reduce the Federal real estate portfolio.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 7388, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7388, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.