Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6261) to direct the Comptroller General to conduct a review on the impact of crime on public building usage, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 6261.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Periodically, we get 1,000-page bills or 2,000-page bills or 4,000- page bills that we debate on this floor. It can be a little hard for the people in the gallery and the people at home to make sense of what we are doing. This bill is not that.

This excellent piece of legislation from Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer fits on a single piece of paper. She and I were talking about that, Mr. Speaker, before we began debate on this bill, about how much good wisdom is packed into a single page. We will probably talk about the merits of this legislation for longer than it would take us to read the entirety of the bill, but it is just that good.

The Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023, which is this piece of paper, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6261, directs the Government Accountability Office, or the GAO, to examine how crime in and around public buildings affects building usage, how it affects how workers might commute to the office, and how it might impose any additional costs to maintain those public buildings.

In 2020, Mr. Speaker, we saw crime rates spike across the country. In many of the downtown areas in many of our States, areas that used to be bustling with workers became near ghost towns that changed the crime profile in many of those areas, to be sure.

We are in a little bit different era today, and now we have differing, conflicting data community by community. In some, crime rates are continuing to go up. In some, they are going down. In some, the data might differ between property crimes and violent crimes.

One thing we do know, Mr. Speaker, is that, of course, the crime that exists can continue to have an impact--a perhaps profound impact--on how we use our Federal buildings.

I will just give you one example, Mr. Speaker, from perhaps 6 months ago. In August 2023, employees who worked in a Federal building in San Francisco were told not to come to work because of safety concerns. These weren't safety concerns related to an earthquake or to a blizzard, an occurrence that we might experience at Federal buildings in South Dakota but not in San Francisco. No, those weren't the safety concerns. They weren't weather related. They were crime related.

It seems like, as good managers, we would want to better understand that issue and what we can do to have it be less common in the future.

It is particularly true as we work to bring employees back to the office. We know there is study after study that shows that people working in close physical proximity can share real benefits. Remote work has benefits, too, but as we talk to employees about coming back to the office in those times and in those places where it makes sense, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that their public safety is well cared for--not just when they are in the building, but when they are on their way to or from work as well.

I thank the bill's sponsor, the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez- DeRemer). She has exhibited real leadership on this legislation. She has shown real advocacy to make sure that Federal employees are able to return safely to Federal office buildings and that, while they are there, they are effective and efficient.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and

Accountability,

Washington, DC, March 4, 2024.

Hon. Sam Graves,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Graves: Thank you for consulting with the

Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The Committee on

Oversight and Accountability agrees to be discharged from

further consideration of H.R. 6261, the Impact of Crime on

Public Building Usage Act of 2023, so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House Floor.

I agree that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 6261 at

this time, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability does

not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained

in this or similar legislation. The Committee on Oversight

and Accountability should be appropriately consulted and

involved on this or similar legislation as it moves forward.

I support your effort to represent the House Committee on

Oversight and Accountability on the conference committee if a

conference on the bill becomes necessary.

As discussed, I appreciate your inclusion of a copy of our

exchange of letters on this bill in the bill report filed by

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and in the

Congressional Record during House floor consideration

thereof. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this bill

and look forward to future opportunities to work together on

matters of shared jurisdiction.

Sincerely,

James Comer,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

As we encourage Federal employees to return to an in-person working posture, at those times when it is appropriate, it is crucial that we ensure that they are coming back to a safe work environment.

I urge support of H.R. 6261 so we can ultimately address the unsafe working conditions deterring employees from returning to work.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6261, which would commission a Federal study on public safety issues in and around public office buildings.

In Oregon and in communities across the country, rampant fentanyl use and homelessness understandably cause workers to worry about their safety, and some just might choose to stay home as a result.

Public buildings are running parallel to private buildings. Let me quote from an article in Willamette Week from August 16, 2023--I know my colleague recognized San Francisco--titled:

Empty and Unwanted, the Iconic Buildings of Portland's

Skyline Are in Trouble. The question--and it is a contentious

one--is whether Portland is worse than any place else because

of blight. Plywood that went up during the protests is still

there. Homeless camps that took root during the pandemic are

only now being removed. On some downtown blocks, you will see

someone smoking fentanyl while drinking a Frappuccino.

That has the same effect on our Federal buildings. Additionally, the GAO would be required to examine any costs that are associated with safety issues at these buildings.

To make more informed spending decisions on Federal real estate moving forward, Congress needs to understand how factors like crime contribute to building costs and employee decisions.

H.R. 6261 will shine a light on public safety concerns and help Congress identify improvements that can be made to protect Federal workers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6261. This bill introduced by my colleague, Representative Chavez-DeRemer, directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress on the effects that crime and safety concerns have on in-person work in Federal buildings.

Federal buildings must be safe and secure places for Federal employees, contractors, and the American public.

Evaluating the safety in and around Federal buildings is a good idea. I recommend that the GAO gather and include in the report data from the Federal Protective Service, the agency responsible for protecting Federal buildings and assessing the security of Federal buildings, as well as the employees who populate them.

I also recommend that GAO include the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security in the development of the report. DHS' OIG has access to historical data and current trends which may assist in the evaluation of the impacts noted in the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, Federal buildings must be safe and secure places for Federal employees, contractors, and the American public.

I believe evaluating the safety in and around Federal buildings is a good idea, which is why I support this bill and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.