HR-4465 : Became Public Law

Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016

This bill establishes the Public Buildings Reform Board to identify opportunities for the federal government to reduce significantly its inventory of civilian real property and reduce its costs. The Board shall terminate six years after enactment of this Act.

Each federal agency shall submit to the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (1) current data on all federal civilian real properties owned, leased, or controlled by each agency; (2) recommendations on such properties that can be disposed of or outleased or that otherwise no longer meet agency needs or that can be transferred, exchanged, consolidated, co-located, reconfigured, or redeveloped; and (3) recommendations on operational efficiencies that the government can realize in its operation and maintenance of such properties. The OMB shall review agency recommendations, develop standards for reviewing such recommendations, and submit such standards and its recommendations to the Board.

The Board shall: (1) identify at least five federal civilian properties not on the list of surplus or excess properties that have a total fair market value of not less than $500 million and not more than $750 million, (2) transmit a list of such properties to the OMB and Congress as Board recommendations, (3) analyze the inventory of federal civilian real property and the associated agency recommendations, (4) implement an accounting system to evaluate the cost of and returns on recommendations, and (5) report its conclusions and recommendations to the OMB. The Board's first report shall include transactions valued, in total, at not more than $2.5 billion and its second report shall include transactions valued, in total, at not more than $4.75 billion.

The OMB shall: (1) review Board recommendations and transmit to the Board and Congress a report on its approval or disapproval of such recommendations, and (2) report information about the properties involved to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Each agency shall: (1) submit a report of excess to the GSA regarding the federal civilian properties for which recommendations have been approved (which properties shall be sold by the GSA for fair market value), (2) immediately begin preparation to carry out the Board's recommendations after the OMB transmits such recommendations to Congress, (3) initiate all activities necessary for implementation of such recommendations not later than two years after such transmittal, and (4) complete implementation within six years after transmittal unless extenuating circumstances prevent timely completion.

HUD shall identify any suitable properties for use as a property benefitting the mission of assistance to the homeless for the purposes of further screening pursuant to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The OMB may exclude from the Board's recommendations properties that are not suitable to benefit the homeless but that the OMB determines are suitable for use as a state or local public park or recreation area.

The Government Accountability Office shall annually review and report to Congress on agency implementation activities under this Act.

The net proceeds from the transfer of excess real property to another federal agency or from the sale, lease, or other disposition of surplus real property shall be deposited into the real property account of the agency that had custody of the real property at the time it was determined to be excess. Such proceeds may be expended only as authorized in annual appropriations Acts. Any net proceeds that are not expended shall be used for deficit reduction. The net proceeds of the disposition, lease, or transfer of excess personal property shall be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

GSA shall publish a database of all federal real property under the custody and control of all executive agencies, other than federal real property excluded for reasons of national security.

The bill amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to allow the use of surplus property to provide permanent housing with or without supportive services to assist the homeless.