S. 353

119 S353 IS: Commission to Relocate the Federal Bureaucracy Act
 U.S. Senate
 2025-02-03
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 353  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   February 3, 2025   Mrs. Blackburn  (for herself,  Mr. Cassidy ,  Mr. Tillis , and  Mr. Ricketts ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs    A BILL
To establish a commission to study the relocation of certain agencies outside of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Commission to Relocate the Federal Bureaucracy Act  .
2.
Agency relocation commission
(a)
Definitions
(1)
Agency
The term  agency  has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2)
Commission
The term  Commission  means the Commission established under subsection (b).
(3)
Covered agency
The term  covered agency  means an agency that is not a security-related agency, as determined by the President.
(4)
Telework
The term  telework  has the meaning given the term in section 6501 of title 5, United States Code.
(5)
Washington, DC metropolitan area
The term  Washington, DC metropolitan area  means—
(A)
the District of Columbia;
(B)
Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in the State of Maryland; and
(C)
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William Counties and the City of Alexandria in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
(b)
Establishment
There is established a Commission to study the relocation of covered agencies based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to other areas throughout the United States.
(c)
Membership
The Commission shall be composed of—
(1)
the Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office;
(2)
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
(3)
the Comptroller General of the United States;
(4)
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
(5)
the Secretary of Agriculture;
(6)
the Secretary of Commerce;
(7)
the Secretary of Education;
(8)
the Secretary of Energy;
(9)
the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(10)
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(11)
the Secretary of the Interior;
(12)
the Secretary of Labor;
(13)
the Secretary of Transportation;
(14)
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(15)
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and
(16)
the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
(d)
Report
(1)
In general
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the study described in subsection (b).
(2)
Factors
In developing the report required under paragraph (1), the Commission shall recommend the transfer of covered agencies with consideration of—
(A)
financial efficiency, including whether the cost of living of an area is below the national average;
(B)
whether an area has adequate pre-existing infrastructure and available private land to be used for the purpose of covered agencies;
(C)
whether an area has existing industries relating to the business of a covered agency that can serve as public and private sector partners of the covered agency and strengthen the ability of the covered agency to carry out the duties of the covered agency;
(D)
whether, at any time during the 5-year period preceding the date of enactment of this Act, not less than 50 percent of the workforce of the covered agency has participated in telework;
(E)
whether an area maintains adequate technology infrastructure to allow agencies to operate efficiently; and
(F)
whether an area is—
(i)
a qualified opportunity zone (as defined in  section 1400Z–1(a)  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986); or
(ii)
an area that meets one or more of the criteria described in section 301(a) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3161(a) ).
(3)
Community engagement
In developing the report required under paragraph (1), the Commission shall consult with stakeholders that are local to potential relocation sites, including State and local government officials, business leaders from relevant industries, representatives from regional economic development agencies, and residents.
(4)
Relocation target
In developing the report required under paragraph (1), the Commission shall prioritize achieving a goal of transferring not fewer than 100,000 employees of covered agencies outside of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.