Press Releases

This week, the House of Representatives approved legislation to limit foreign influence and improve U.S. maritime supply chains, reign in cost escalations of General Services Administration (GSA) projects, and improve safety in and around federal buildings.

The House approved three pieces of legislation under the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: H.R. 6260, the Federal Oversight of Construction Use and Safety (FOCUS) Act, and H.R. 6261, the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023, both introduced by Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Vice Chair Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR); and H.R. 1836, the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD).

H.R. 1836, the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), builds upon the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, updates federal policy governing international ocean shipping, and limits foreign influence over U.S. supply chains.  The bill establishes a process to report alleged incidents of market manipulation and anticompetitive practices by shipping exchanges to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) for investigation.  The bill also prohibits the FMC from requiring ocean carriers to report information already reported to other federal agencies, eliminating duplicative and burdensome bureaucratic requirements.  And the bill bans recipients of federal grant dollars from using Chinese state-controlled software in port operations. The Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023 was approved by the Committee during the May 23, 2023 markup.

“The FMC needs the authority to crack down on China’s unfair shipping practices,” said Johnson. “The Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act will build off the progress from my Ocean Shipping Reform Act and give the FMC the authority to further secure our ocean shipping supply chains,” said Rep. Johnson. “Thanks to the Committee’s work and Rep. Garamendi’s partnership, we got this bill across the finish line."

H.R. 6260, the Federal Oversight of Construction Use and Safety (FOCUS) Act, introduced by Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Vice Chair Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), increases transparency and oversight of the General Services Administration (GSA) by requiring congressional notification of cost escalations of five percent on GSA capital projects and requiring an amended prospectus to be submitted to Congress for approval if cost escalations exceed 10 percent. The bill also requires GSA to collect data on crimes in and around public buildings and submit a report to Congress that includes crime data and any actions taken or planned to address safety concerns. Utilization data and consolidation plans must also be included in prospectuses to reduce waste. Additionally, the bill orders a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of utilization of special use space in federal buildings.

H.R. 6261, the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), establishes a GAO study on how crime in and around public buildings affects building usage, commuting methods, and costs of maintaining public buildings. The bill also requires GSA to submit a report to Congress on the impacts and costs associated with building operations related to crime and public safety in and around federal buildings.

Both the FOCUS Act and the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023 were approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the November 15, 2023 markup.

“With our national debt at $34 trillion and rising, Congress must restore fiscal responsibility and find ways to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending.  Since office space utilization has decreased dramatically across government agencies, the logical next step is to consolidate if possible and save taxpayer dollars,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “The fentanyl and homelessness crises also pose unique public safety concerns to federal workers in Portland and cities across the country.  To make more informed spending decisions on federal real estate moving forward, Congress needs to understand how factors like crime contribute to building costs and employee decisions.  Together, these bills will rein in spending while improving safety for our federal workforce.  I’m glad they received strong bipartisan support, and I’ll continue working to get these commonsense proposals signed into law.”

“I want to thank Congressman Johnson for introducing the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act and his tireless work to help strengthen America’s supply chain,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).  He continued, “Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer has been a leader on our committee in cutting federal waste in federal office space and real estate utilization, and in working to improve the security and safety of our federal buildings and surrounding areas.  I commend them both for their efforts, and I urge the Senate to pass these important pieces of legislation.”