LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - Rep. Rutherford’s Streamlining DHS Overhead Act Passes U.S. House

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass H.R. 2190, the Streamlining Department of Homeland (DHS) Overhead Act. This bill, which was introduced by Congressman John Rutherford in May, would mandate the development of regional property strategies that focus on consolidating leases when mission appropriate, give the Under Secretary of Management oversight tools to ensure DHS property is being managed effectively, and clearly outline responsibilities of the logistics team to achieve cost savings.

Congressman Rutherford said, "The passage of H.R. 2190 will allow the Department of Homeland Security to improve its operations, increase its accountability, and promote efficiencies to better employ its resources. DHS's properties represent billions of dollars in spending, but its leadership has continued to struggle with asset integration and management. H.R. 2190 will ensure taxpayer dollars are not wasted, while allowing DHS to better focus on its mission of securing the homeland. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this important piece of legislation and look forward to seeing further improvements at DHS."

Currently, DHS pays $2 billion a year to occupy more than 100 million square feet of space. Despite being the nation's third largest federal department, the Department of Homeland Security continues to struggle with challenges from its integration of 22 federal departments and agencies. Many of these entities came into the Department with their own field office structure, different regional structures, and divergent approaches to procuring goods and services. Continuing to work as seven different operational components creates management challenges that DHS still faces. The Streamlining DHS Overhead Act will allow DHS to operate more effectively and focus resources on field operations while saving tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

H.R. 2190 now advances to the Senate for further consideration. For more information click here.