PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.1713 / 112th Congress

Federal Cost Reduction Act of 2011

Referred to the Subcommittee on Readiness.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 4, 2011

Federal Cost Reduction Act of 2011 - Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue recommendations for reducing or consolidating the number of federal data centers by at least 40% by the end of FY2016 and by at least 80% by the end of FY2021, and (2) executive agency heads to implement such recommendations within six months after their issuance.

Requires the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to report on: (1) recommendations to reduce long-term real estate costs and energy expenditures; and (2) federal employee parking expenses, with a plan to reduce such expenses.

Requires executive agency heads to establish a plan to reduce the volume of material printed for fiscal years 2012 through 2022 and to require duplex printing on all federal printers and copiers.

Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.

Read full official summaryShow less

Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to submit a plan to implement federal employee cost savings proposals.

Authorizes executive agency heads to enter into cost-effective power purchase agreements for the purchase of electricity from federally-owned or controlled renewable energy sources.

Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Facility Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects Fund to provide assistance for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects carried out at federal facilities to reduce energy use.

Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) establish a federal facility energy efficiency and renewable energy projects fund program to make loans to assist agencies in reducing energy use; (2) promulgate regulations to enable agencies to retain the financial savings from entering into utility energy saving contracts; (3) promulgate regulations to enable agencies to identify all potential locations for renewable energy projects; (4) issue guidance for agencies to achieve energy savings by using computer hardware, energy efficiency software, and power management tools; and (5) issue guidance on a federal energy management and data collection standard that includes a plan for GSA to publish energy consumption data for individual facilities on a searchable and free website accessible by the public.

Requires federal agencies to submit a plan to the Secretary on metering their consumption of electricity. Requires the Secretary to develop and report on best practices for the use of advanced metering of energy use in federal facilities, buildings, and equipment.

Authorizes the GSA Administrator to use appropriated funds to update project designs to meet federal building energy efficiency standards.

Requires the Administrator and the Secretary to incorporate commissioning and recommissioning standards for all real property that: (1) is more than $10 million in value, (2) has more than 50,000 square feet, or (3) has energy intensity of more than $2 per square foot.

Requires that a contribution by the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to a state for facilities for reserve components of the Armed Forces, which is made at an armory or readiness center for an energy efficiency upgrade, cover 100% of the costs of architectural, engineering, and design services and the cost of the construction related to the upgrade.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11] · D–VA

Committees

  • Armed Services Committee
  • Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  • Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
1 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Readiness.

  2. Referred to the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management .

  3. Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.

  4. Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

  5. Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  6. Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  7. Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  8. Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  9. Introduced in House

  10. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1713 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.1713 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.1713 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.1713 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources