Denham's civilian property realignment bill passes House 259-164

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Jeff Denham’s bill, the Civilian Property Realignment Act (CPRA), H.R. 1734, passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 259-164. The bipartisan bill implements common-sense policies to help eliminate government waste and save billions of taxpayer dollars, and is now headed for a vote in the Senate, the congressman's office said in a news release. CPRA will literally shrink the size of government and help ensure savings by selling or redeveloping high value properties, consolidating federal space, maximizing the utilization rates of space, and streamlining the disposal of unneeded assets, according to the release.

“In the face of a $15 trillion debt, it’s time we get serious about eliminating waste and increasing efficiency in our government. My bill, the CPRA, will shrink the federal real property footprint and save billions of taxpayer dollars by selling what we don't need and better utilizing what we keep,” Denham, chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, said in the release.

Denham’s bill, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, takes politics out of the process and will bring an independent process, outside of bureaucratic red tape, to improve the management of federal real property to eliminate government waste, according to the news release. H.R. 1734 creates a 9 member commission that would review federal properties and recommend specific actions to reduce the federal building inventory and more efficiently house federal employees.

“In fiscal year 2009, the federal government wasted more than $1.7 billion in operating under-used buildings. This is outrageous,” Denham said. Federal real property has been on the GAO’s high risk list for nearly a decade, and Denham’s committee, which oversees public buildings, has seen the waste firsthand.

“Unfortunately, under existing law, selling these vacant and underutilized properties is not easy – the process is too cumbersome and congested with red-tape. The Administration has tried, but realized it cannot achieve major savings without reform. My bill streamlines the process to sell these properties, eliminate waste and promote economic growth,” continued Denham.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimates that the commission could generate $15 billion in revenue from property sales, in addition to the billions more generated from future cost avoidance from simply owning less property. Within the first 180 days after the commission is set up, H.R. 1734 will generate $500 million in taxpayer savings.

Citizens Against Government Waste strongly supports Rep. Denham’s legislation. Many industry associations are also in support of the legislation. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association and the National Tax-Limitation Committee support the bill as well.