Summary
Requires government agencies to report their extra items and publish this information online so things can be reused instead of buying new.
What problem does this solve?
Government agencies sometimes buy new items when other agencies have the same things sitting unused. This law makes agencies share information about their extra property to reduce wasteful spending.
Who does this affect?
- Federal executive agencies
- General Services Administration (GSA)
- Government employees
What does this law do?
Creates a public website for excess property
Requires the General Services Administration to create a public website showing all the extra personal property reported by federal agencies each year.
Requires agencies to check for used items first
Makes every government agency create and publish its own rules for how it will look for and use extra property from other agencies before buying new items.
Requires a report on items bought from China
Directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report on how often federal agencies buy property made in the People's Republic of China.
Assigns a person to be in charge of searching for property
Requires each agency to name an employee who is responsible for searching for available excess property that the agency might need.
Ends the program after five years
Specifies that the new reporting rules and requirements created by this act will automatically end five years after the law is passed.
What is the real world impact?
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Reduces wasteful government spending
Encourages federal agencies to use surplus items from other agencies instead of buying new ones. This helps save taxpayer money by getting the most use out of property the government already owns.
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Increases government transparency
Makes information about the government's extra property available to the public and Congress. This allows for better oversight of how agencies manage their resources.
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Tracks purchases from China
Requires a report on how often government agencies buy items made in China. This could be used to understand and potentially reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains for national security reasons.
When does this start?
This law sets several deadlines for agencies and reports, most of which must be met within 180 days.
Agency guidance on using excess property
Within 180 days of the law's enactment, each agency must create and publish its internal rules for considering excess property before buying new items.
Report on interagency working group
Within 180 days of the law's enactment, the GSA must publish a report on findings from a working group about how to better use excess property.
Annual public report on excess property
Within 180 days after the end of each fiscal year, the GSA must publish a public report compiling all data on excess property from all agencies.