James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 5787, as amended, and commend Chairman Waxman for taking steps to address Federal excess and…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 5787, as amended, and commend Chairman Waxman for taking steps to address Federal excess and surplus property issues. H.R. 5787 authorizes the Administrator of General Services to obligate funds to pay for a variety of services that must be conducted before a property can be declared excess to the needs of the reporting agency. These services include title searches, site remediation, site security, and other activities necessary for a property to be declared excess. Further, the bill authorizes the General Services Administration to be reimbursed by the agency for these expenses from the proceeds of the sale of the property. The net proceeds are retained by the donor agency and can be used only for disposal-related activities. I want to thank Chairman Waxman for recognizing the concerns of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the eligible uses of these net proceeds, and for working to address these concerns.”