PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 36 · Passed House amended · May 21, 2008
Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to issue guidance for federal agency real property plans, including recommendations on how to identify and dispose of excess properties, evaluate disposal costs and benefits, and prioritize disposal decisions based on agency missions and anticipated future need for holdings.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) report to specified congressional committees annually for five years on agency efforts to reduce their real property assets; and (2) assist agencies in the identification and disposal of excess real property.
Requires agencies to: (1) maintain adequate inventory controls and accountability systems for property under their control; (2) continuously survey such property to identify excess property; (3) promptly report excess property to the Administrator; (4) perform the care and handling of excess property; and (5) transfer or dispose of excess property as promptly as possible.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Requires each agency to: (1) develop and implement a real property plan to identify and declare excess property; (2) identify and categorize all real property owned, leased, or managed by the agency; (3) establish goals and incentives to reduce excess real property in its inventory; and (4) use authorities to identify and prepare real property to be reported as excess.
Requires each agency to: (1) reassign to another activity within the agency property that is no longer required for the purposes for which it was purchased; (2) transfer excess property to other federal agencies and to specified organizations; and (3) obtain excess properties from other agencies to meet mission needs before acquiring nonfederal property.
(Sec. 4) Includes among the amounts the Administrator is authorized to obligate from proceeds from the disposition of surplus real and related personal property: (1) amounts to pay the costs related to identifying and preparing properties to be reported excess by another agency; and (2) amounts to pay the costs associated with the reversion, custody, and disposal of reverted real property.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) take control of certain property for which reversion is recommended or determined to be necessary and to sell it at fair market value; and (2) make such property available to state and local governments and certain nonprofit entities prior to sale.
(Sec. 6) Requires: (1) excess or surplus property proceeds to be deposited into the appropriate agency's real property account (currently, into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts); and (2) the funds from such deposits to be expended only as authorized in annual appropriations Acts for activities related to federal real property asset management and disposal.
People & committees
Rep. Moore, Dennis [D-KS-3] · D–KS
Legislative record
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Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR 5/19/2008 H4091-4092)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR 5/19/2008 H4091-4092)
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4402)
At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Issa objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5787.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4091-4094)
Ms. Watson moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 412.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government. H. Rept. 110-651.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government. H. Rept. 110-651.
Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Discharged.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.5787 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.
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