Norton Offers Amendments to Keep Federal Property Reduction Bill Alive

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) today tried for the third time to move the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from its headquarters building by attaching an amendment to require the move at the committee's markup of the Civilian Property Realignment Act (CPRA), a bill that the Congresswoman was close to cosponsoring, which would allow the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget to consolidate and to dispose of surplus federal properties to save taxpayers money. Norton has learned that the Senate opposes Chairman Mica's FTC headquarters proposal move, but he is intent on continuing his effort.

Norton, who believes a compromise could have been reached on the CPRA bill prior to the markup, offered two amendments to the CPRA bill. Her first amendment was to preserve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for the disposal of properties under the bill. Norton offered an example from this region of why NEPA reviews are needed. "Right here in the D.C. metropolitan area I have had the opportunity to observe what happens when there is not a sufficient environmental review of a decision to move a government function," said Norton. "The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission made the decision to move several Department of Defense functions to the Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia without the proper consideration of the effects of and the need for additional infrastructure to support the thousands of workers that were moved to the area. The move to an already congested area has caused considerable disruption in the area because there are not enough transportation options to sustain the influx of nearly 6,000 workers." Norton's second amendment would have struck altogether the waiver of a federal provision that gives homeless providers access to surplus federal properties. Norton said, "This is one of the least time-consuming parts of the process for disposing of federal properties, so the Republican's waiver was heartless and unnecessary."

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