Overview of the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (H.R. 6276)

Overview of the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (H.R. 6276)

INSIGHTi

Overview of the Using Space Efficiently and
Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (H.R.
6276)
March 11, 2024
The Using Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act (H.R. 6276) was reported, with
amendments, by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on February 13, 2024. The
bill would require certain federal agencies to track and report on the occupancy and utilization rates of
buildings they lease and own. The bill would also require agencies to reduce unused space in buildings
that do not meet a utilization rate of 60% over time, including through the consolidation of department
and agency headquarters buildings.
Background
In an effort to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus in 2020, federal agencies began operating under
maximum telework policies, which permitted many government employees to work from home. An
October 2023 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that daily building
utilization remained well below capacity during the first three months of 2023. Specifically, GAO found
that 17 of the 24 agencies that are subject to the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 had utilization rates
of less than 25% in their headquarters buildings, and the other seven had an average utilization rate of
36%. Reliable pre-pandemic utilization rates are generally not available for comparison. GAO reported
that increased telework was a major factor in reducing agencies’ building utilization rates as compared to
pre-pandemic levels, along with inefficient office configurations and long-standing problems managing
unneeded space. GAO also noted that there are no government-wide benchmarks for how agencies should
measure building utilization, including a lack of standards for targets such as “full” utilization.
Overview of H.R. 6276
Section 1 provides that the short title of the bill is the USE IT Act of 2023.
Section 2 establishes that the bill would apply to the 24 agencies subject to the Chief Financial Officers
Act of 1990. These agencies control approximately 98% of federal real property. It defines four key terms
that covered agencies would use when reporting on federally owned or leased building space:
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN12329
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

Congressional Research Service
2
1. Occupancy. The total number of employees performing duties at least five days a week
on a regular basis.
2. Actual utilization rate. The total usable square footage divided by the occupancy.
3. Capacity. The total usable square footage divided by a utilization benchmark.
4. Building utilization. The percentage of utilization generated by comparing the actual
utilization rate with capacity based on a benchmark of 150 usable square feet per person.
Section 3 would require the General Services Administration (GSA), in coordination with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), to establish standard methodologies and identify technologies available
for measuring occupancy in federally owned or leased buildings no later than 60 days after enactment. It
would further require agencies, in consultation with GSA, to deploy technologies to measure the
occupancy of the space they lease and own no later than 180 days after enactment.
Section 4 would require agencies to report to Congress, OMB, and GSA on:
• the occupancy, actual utilization rates, and building utilization percentage of the buildings
they own and lease;
• the methodology for calculating occupancy; and
• the costs associated with any capacity that exceeds occupancy.
The first report would be due one year after enactment and annually thereafter.
Section 5 would require OMB, in consultation with GSA, to identify federally owned or leased buildings
that have a building utilization rate below 60% over a one-year period and to notify any tenant agencies of
that excess capacity and the associated costs of the excess space. GSA would also be required to notify
Congress of excess building capacity and the associated costs.
If a tenant agency failed to meet the 60% utilization rate in the subsequent reporting period, GSA would
be required to dispose of the excess space, including through consolidation or sale. GSA would also be
required to prioritize, to the maximum extent practicable, capital investments in buildings that meet the
60% target rate or in projects that would result in building utilization of 60% or more.
Section 6 would require OMB, in consultation with GSA, to submit a plan to Congress for the
consolidation of agency headquarters in the National Capitol Region that would result in building
utilization rates of 60% or greater. The plan would be due not later than one year after enactment, and
OMB and GSA would be required to begin implementation one year after the plan was submitted.

Author Information

Garrett Hatch

Specialist in American National Government

Congressional Research Service
3
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

IN12329 · VERSION 1 · NEW