Sponsor
Scott Perry
Representative · R-PA
Representative · R-PA
The bill increases transparency and tools for consolidating and repurposing federal real property—potentially saving taxpayer money and reducing inefficiencies—at the cost of added administrative burden, some near-term taxpayer expense, possible slower disposition decisions, and modest data privacy/security risks.
Taxpayers, Congress, and federal employees will get substantially more transparency and oversight because GAO, OMB, GSA, and agencies (including those with independent leasing authority) must provide comprehensive leasing and utilization data and regular reports to Congress and oversight bodies, improving the ability to identify inefficiencies and pursue cost savings.
Local governments, taxpayers, and federal agencies stand to benefit from continued Public Buildings Reform Board authority through 2028, which enables more active disposal, reuse, and repurposing of underused federal real property to improve efficiency.
Federal agencies and their employees can use existing buildings as temporary 'swing space' to reduce project delays when selling or renovating other federal buildings, helping maintain operations and avoid interruption.
Taxpayers may face higher short-term (and potentially longer) costs due to expanded reporting requirements, retention of buildings as swing space when savings are overestimated, and an extended statutory period for Board operations.
Federal agencies, OMB, and GSA will incur ongoing administrative burdens to compile, validate, and transfer utilization and leasing data, which could divert staff time and resources from other work and raise compliance costs.
GSA's decision-making about retaining buildings as swing space could be constrained by statutory cost-justification requirements, potentially slowing asset disposition, renovation, or sale timelines and delaying efficiency gains.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires GSA and OMB to share building use and lease data with GAO and the Public Buildings Reform Board, expands reporting to agencies with independent leasing authority, authorizes limited swing-space retention, and extends asset-sale authority to 2028.
Official title: To amend the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 to provide the Comptroller General with certain data, to provide for certain swing space, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 8, 2026 by Scott Perry · Last progress September 8, 2026
Requires GSA and OMB to share building utilization data and reports with the GAO and the Public Buildings Reform Board, expands who must comply with existing leasing-data rules to include agencies with independent leasing authority, and extends and adjusts authorities related to federal asset sales. It also authorizes GSA to retain certain Federal buildings as temporary “swing space” to support sales or major renovations if retention costs do not exceed anticipated savings, and requires annual plans and notifications to Congressional committees. The bill creates new statutory duties to provide data to oversight bodies, narrows some timing requirements by creating an exception for retained swing space, and extends the termination date of a Federal asset sale authority by two years (to December 31, 2028). It also directs GSA to identify agencies with independent leasing authority and ensure their compliance with data-reporting requirements within one year of enactment.