Fasta Reform Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act, as you heard, FASTA, was a bipartisan and bicameral effort led by the T & I Committee in the 114th Congress, with the goal of improving the disposal process for unneeded Federal real property.

FASTA established the Public Buildings Reform Board, PBRB, an independent Federal agency, to review and recommend unused properties for the government to sell. Once the properties were identified, the PBRB was to work with the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to dispose of these properties via a new, temporary three-round process.

Since its establishment, however, the PBRB has faced significant challenges. Although the legislation was passed in 2016, members were not appointed until May of 2019. Furthermore, the board was unable to conduct business for most of 2022 after two board members resigned, leaving the agency without a quorum until November 2022.

As a result, they were unable to complete and submit to OMB their first round of recommendations.

Overall, difficulties in doing research during the pandemic, lack of access to funding to help the agencies prepare for dispositions, delays in selling two particularly valuable properties in the high-value round, and disagreements with GSA and OMB on disposition strategies have all made the board's work challenging.

Due to these challenges and delays, I join Chairman Perry in sponsoring the FASTA Reform Act, and I thank him for his leadership.

It requires Federal agencies to share their real property data and consolidation plans with the board. It also enables the board to submit recommendations to OMB on a rolling basis. It gives the board control over the sales proceeds in the Asset Proceeds and Space Management Fund. It reduces the quorum requirement for meetings and activities from five board members to four. It permits agencies to prepare properties for disposition, and it extends the operation of the PBRB to December 2026.

As agencies' post-pandemic space needs evolve, efficient and effective disposal of unneeded properties will become even more important.

Allowing this demonstration program to complete its work will yield important information that can mitigate several longstanding disposal challenges and improve the size and efficiency of the Federal real property portfolio.

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I think this is a good example of government efficiency, saving taxpayer dollars, and working across the aisle.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for his support.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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