Kelly, Cramer Introduce Legislation to Save Taxpayer Money by Reforming Process to Dispose of Unneeded Federal Property
Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the FASTA Reform Act, a bipartisan, good government solution to facilitate the process by which the federal government disposes of unused property and ensure taxpayers benefit from it.
The Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA), passed by Congress and signed into law in 2016, was enacted to address long-standing, federal deficiencies in managing its real property portfolio. It aimed to streamline the disposal of unneeded federal buildings, land, and structures, ultimately saving millions of dollars in taxpayer money. But unnecessary bureaucracy has prevented this from happening.
Kelly and Cramer’s bill addresses red tape issues—with local and tribal consultation—to ensure the federal property disposal process is faster and successful.
“Abandoned and unused federal buildings are an eyesore for communities, yet too often, bureaucratic red tape makes it difficult for federal agencies to sell these buildings—even when a community could find a better use for them,” said Kelly. “Our bipartisan bill will make sure the federal government can dispose of unused property, while generating a return for taxpayers.”
“Keeping unneeded federal buildings open for no reason is costing American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It’s ridiculous and must be fixed,” said Cramer. “Our legislation is a bipartisan, pragmatic effort to get rid of these buildings faster so they can quit draining federal coffers and be put to better public use.”
Background:
FASTA established a six-year pilot program overseen by the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) to recommend the disposal of properties in three rounds. The PBRB began operating in 2019, and their work resulted in the sale of 10 buildings, generating over $193 million in revenue. However, as of 2022, the federal government still had 7,697 vacant buildings.
After completing the first two rounds, the PBRB identified numerous challenges impacting FASTA’s overall effectiveness. Kelly and Cramer’s legislation addresses these outstanding issues and facilitates a successful final round. Their bill extends the PBRB’s termination date to 2026, reduces the minimum numbers required for a quorum, ensures tribal input is incorporated in the disposal process, and enables the use of more effective disposal methods.
U.S. Representatives Scott Perry (R-PA-10) and Dina Titus (D-NV-10) introduced similar bipartisan legislation, which was unanimously passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee late last year. These much-needed reforms will help the PBRB complete its work more effectively, resulting in greater savings to the taxpayer.
Click here for bill text.
