Public Buildings Reform Act of 1996

Public Buildings Reform Act of 1995 - Amends the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to direct the Administrator of General Services to consider the impact of the selection of a particular site on the cost and space efficiency of the project. Repeals provisions requiring the Administrator to submit to the Congress a prospectus on each proposed public building acquisition, lease, or alteration exceeding specified amounts. Requires the Administrator, not later than 15 days after the President submits the U.S. budget to the Congress, to submit a biennial public buildings plan that includes: (1) a strategic capital asset management plan for accommodating the public building needs of the Federal Government; (2) a prioritized list of each construction, alteration, purchase, or acquisition project, of each lease or lease renewal, and of each planned repair or alteration project requested for the first year of the biennial plan or expected to be requested for the second year; (3) an explanation of the basis for each order of priority specified; (4) the estimated annual and total cost of each project requested in the biennial plan; (5) a list of each public building planned to be vacated in whole or in part, to be exchanged for other property, or to be disposed of during the period covered by the biennial plan; and (6) requests for authorizations of appropriations necessary to carry out the projects listed in the biennial plan for the first year. Requires the information regarding a project to be presented in the form of a prospectus with respect to a project for which the Administrator has requested an authorization of appropriations for the first year and in the form of a project description with respect to a project for which the Administrator expects to request an authorization of appropriations for the second year. Considers each reference to cost, price, or any other dollar amount contained in a project description to be a good faith estimate by the Administrator. Permits the Administrator to include a project that was not approved in a biennial plan in a subsequent plan. Prohibits the Administrator from obligating funds that are made available for any project for which approval is required unless the project was included in the biennial plan for the fiscal year and the prospectus for the project was submitted to the Congress. Allows the Administrator to submit a written request for emergency authority to construct, alter, purchase, or acquire a public building or to lease office or storage space to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives if the authority cannot be obtained in a timely manner through the biennial planning process. Requires the Administrator to develop standard cost benchmarks for projects for the construction of courthouses and other public buildings consisting solely of general office space. Requires the Administrator to use the results of the continuing investigation and survey to establish a central repository for the asset management information of the Federal Government. Calls on each Federal agency to identify public buildings that are or will become unneeded, obsolete, or underutilized during the five-year period beginning on the date of identification. Gives the Administrator the task of finding more cost-effective uses for, or selling, the public buildings that the Federal agency identified. Prohibits the Administrator, for 270 days after the enactment of this Act, from expending funds on any project relating to the construction, purchase, or acquisition of a public building with respect to which no funds have previously been expended. Requires the Administrator to develop design guides and standards for Federal court accommodations.