Quigley, Cummings Introduce Bill to Dispose of Unwanted Federal Property, Increase Transparency

WASHINGTON, DC – March 17, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Elijah Cummings (MD-7) introduced a bill that would increase transparency in property records and save the federal government billions of dollars simply by selling or disposing of unwanted government-owned property.

 “This bill is a no-brainer for anyone concerned about our national debt,” said Quigley.  “It saves a significant amount of money without cutting a single service, and is a perfect example of how we must reinvent government.”

“I commend Rep. Quigley on this thoughtful and timely bill, and I am pleased to be an original co-sponsor of it,” said Cummings. “Our government must work, just as our people must, to become as effective and efficient as they possibly can be. Trimming waste in the form of unneeded property is a simple, common-sense way to make this happen.”

The federal government currently maintains 14,000 buildings and structures deemed extraneous by agencies, and over 45,000 properties identified as underutilized.  In fiscal year 2009, these underutilized buildings cost $1.66 billion in annual operating costs and, according to President Obama’s Fiscal Commission, disposing of all excess and surplus property could save $8 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Quigley’s bill incentivizes agencies to dispose of unneeded properties by allowing them to retain proceeds from property sales, and use those funds to pay for disposal costs.  Any profits from sales not used for disposal costs will be used to pay down the deficit.  Additionally, it empowers the General Services Administration to help agencies identify and dispose of unneeded properties, and creates an online database for all property owned by the federal government.

The President highlighted the need to reduce unneeded federal properties in his State of the Union Address and his Fiscal Commission recommended the disposal of excess and surplus property.  Further, the President recently announced a plan to help expedite the disposal of unneeded properties and estimates such an effort could save $15 billion over three years.

Quigley introduced the bill during Sunshine Week in Washington, D.C.  Last year, he released a 70 pg. report on reinventing the federal budget.  In the 111th Congress he introduced the Transparency in Government Act and co-founded the Transparency Caucus.