NEWS RELEASE
U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to hold agencies more accountable to the public on how they reuse excess personal property.
Federally-owned personal property includes physical items such as office supplies, furniture, automobiles, and heavy machinery. The federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, and this bill would ensure agencies consider excess property – available at no cost apart from any necessary transportation – before buying new products to save taxpayer dollars.
The bill passed the Senate in December 2023 with an amendment by unanimous consent before heading to the House. It now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“Federal agencies must use taxpayer dollars responsibly. Agencies should consider reusing excess goods like office supplies, equipment, and vehicles rather than buying them new,” said Senator Peters. “My bipartisan legislation would hold the federal government more accountable by ensuring agencies consider goods that have already been purchased when looking for new personal property. The American people deserve smarter federal agency spending practices, and this bill helps ensure that.”
The Reuse Excess Property Act would update existing requirements for agencies to report their excess personal property to the General Services Administration (GSA) by making those reports available to the public as well. This would help agency officials and taxpayers better understand the extent to which agencies are working to cut wasteful spending through the use of excess property. The bill would also require agencies to publicly report on their guidance on the use of excess personal property and designate an employee to be responsible for searching through available excess personal property for items that meet agency needs.
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