House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters on Feb. 28, 2024. Comer said Wednesday that new legislation would expose more behind schedule, over budget projects. Samuel Corum / Getty Images
A pair of government transparency-friendly bills are headed for the House floor
One measure aims to improve the process for agencies to transfer excess office supplies and other items to another agency.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday approved two bills intended to provide greater transparency into efforts to make agency spending more effective.
One measure would require federal agencies to publish guidance on using excess personal property, which refers to non-real estate items like office equipment and furniture, motor vehicles as well as specialized equipment.
Agencies must consider acquiring excess personal property before purchasing new items. Besides shipping and transportation costs, agencies usually don’t have to pay for excess property from another federal agency.
However the Government Accountability Office reported in 2022 that from fiscal years 2016 to 2020, out of $32.8 billion worth of reported excess property, agencies only obtained $3.9 billion worth of items.
“With better direction from Congress, agencies can be more efficient in leveraging excess personal property to meet their needs, saving taxpayer dollars,” said House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.
The legislation, approved 44-0, would require the agency guidance to designate an employee to search through available excess property for items that could meet the agency’s needs.
It also would make public reports that agencies are mandated to annually submit about the amount of excess property they possess and direct the GAO to report on how often agencies acquire items that were manufactured by a Chinese entity.
The Senate in 2023 passed companion legislation by unanimous consent.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Accountability panel also advanced, 44-0, a bill that would require federal agencies to annually report and explain why any of their projects are more than five years behind schedule or $1 billion or more over budget.
“Every year the [GAO] reports government projects that are above cost projections or behind schedule,” Comer said. “However there are likely additional government projects that fly under the radar.”
Similarly, the Senate in March passed companion legislation by unanimous consent.