July 15, 2010: Congressman Wittman Introduces Legislation to Enhance Federal Leasing Activities in the First District

Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) introduced H.R. 5713 this week to direct the Administrator of General Services to extend to private property owners and managers in the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford in Virginia the same preferences in negotiating for the leasing of space for the use of the Federal government that are given to private property owners and managers in jurisdictions in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The General Services Administration (GSA) definition of the NCR includes the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties in Virginia and all cities within those boundaries.  The GSA's leasing mechanism for building space available to the Federal government, the Automated Advanced Acquisition Program (AAAP), only shows properties located in the NCR. 

"This legislation would ensure that when the GSA's Federal customers are seeking space, they are not limited to just those sites within the NCR," Wittman said. According to the 2015 Vision of the Director of National Intelligence, by 2015, employees from different agencies will have to be collocated to more remote locations, away from centralized headquarters.  "As Federal agencies look for ways to ensure continuity of operations, it makes sense for the GSA to facilitate the availability of property outside the current boundaries of the NCR.  "Adding Federal leasing opportunities in the First Congressional District has the potential to generate economic development in our region and would provide the Federal government with more available options for housing their operations," Wittman said.

For more information on the GSA's National Capital Region, visit www.gsa.gov/ncr.

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.