Public Buildings Act of 1983

(Measure passed Senate, amended)

Public Buildings Act of 1983 - Title I: General Authorities - Declares that the Administrator of General Services (GSA), acting through the Public Buildings Service, shall have sole authority to acquire, design, construct, lease, manage, maintain, repair, renovate, and assign and reassign space in buildings and services, except to the extent that Federal agency heads retain specific statutory authority in these matters. Establishes within GSA a Public Buildings Service (Service) to be headed by a Commissioner of Public Buildings. Creates the position of supervising architect to supervise all design activities of the Service.

Revokes delegations of Service authority, delegated by the Administrator prior to the enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to delegate to the head of another Federal agency all or part of his or her authority under this Act with respect to the public building need of that agency.

Requires the Administrator and the Federal agency heads with similar authority to submit annual reports to Congress.

Requires the Administrator to collect and maintain information necessary to keep the Congress informed of the conduct of the Service and to manage Service activities. Sets forth the information the Administrator is required to make available.

Directs the Administrator to require certification from either the owner of space to be leased or the contractor, before executing any lease or contract obligating more than $10,000 authorized under this Act. Makes any owner or contractor who fails to complete such certification ineligible to receive such lease or contract award. Sets forth certification requirements. Requires the Administrator to include in the annual report to Congress the name of each principal owner of leased blocks of space exceeding 50,000 square feet.

Establishes procedures for keeping Congress and specified congressional committees informed of the policies and activities of the GSA within the purview of this Act.

Authorizes the Administrator by partial relinquishment to establish between the Federal Government and a State or territory concurrent jurisdiction over certain lands and public buildings.

States that the Administrator shall be responsible for the interpretation of all contracts entered into to carry out this Act and for the approval of materials, workmanship and services supplied under such contracts.

Authorizes the Administrator to conduct research and post-occupancy evaluation to determine and improve the effectiveness of existing and planned public buildings.

Title II: Locations for Federal Agency Offices - Requires the headquarters offices of each department and major executive establishment to be located in the National Capital region. Provides location requirements for regional, district, area, local and other Federal agency offices.

Establishes factors the Administrator shall take into account in locating Federal agency offices. Authorizes the consolidation of Federal agency offices in a locality to the extent justified by the need for immediate physical proximity and by anticipated cost savings.

Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to appeal the decision of the Administrator to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget where such head determines that the location assigned to any office of fifty or more employees of that agency would be deleterious to the efficient accomplishment of the office's responsibilities. Establishes appeal procedures.

Directs that noncompliance with this Act shall not be construed to require relocation. Requires any action to locate or relocate any Federal agency be taken in accordance with this Act.

Title III: Design and Management of Public Buildings - Requires the Administrator to design and maintain public buildings in a specified architectural manner. Requires the Administrator to design and construct public buildings to approximate the costs, durability, and ratio of net usable space to gross space of commercial buildings that serve similar purposes. Requires the Administrator to explain any excess over such commercial building standards in any authorization for appropriation requests.

Requires the Administrator to use higher standards of quality for the design and construction of public buildings expected to attract significant public use in any locality that serves as a center of its geographical area, or as a headquarters building for any Federal agency.

Directs the Administrator to assure specified requirements in the design, acquisition, renovation, and management of public buildings. Requires the Administrator to provide sheltered and secure bicycle parking locations and equipment for new public buildings, and similar facilities at existing and leased public buildings where bicycle use warrants the expense.

Requires public buildings to be maintained at a high level of appearance, cleanliness, and mechanical and structural fitness for specified reasons and to preserve historic, architectural, or cultural values.

Provides that nothing in this Act shall affect the applicability of the provisions of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968. Amends the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 to include buildings acquired by the United States under the coverage of such Act. Requires that buildings subject to such Act be fully accessible to physically handicapped persons. Requires that any contract for the design, construction, or alteration of any public building include standards necessary to insure whenever possible, that such buildings are fully accessible to physically handicapped persons.

Requires the head of the agency concerned to: (1) submit standards assuring compliance with the minimum requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; and (2) prescribe regulations to assure conformity with such standards.

Authorizes the Administrator, upon the request of local and State officials, to name a public building after, and establish a memorial therein in honor of, any person who has made notable contributions to government, science, industry, education, the arts, or other fields of human endeavor. Prohibits naming any public building for a sitting Member of Congress or for a former Member who holds any elective public office. Limits the amount of money the Administrator can spend for such memorial.

Directs the Administrator to study the efficiency and economy of the use of space in public buildings by Federal agencies and to employ appropriate means to increase cost-effectiveness of such use. Authorizes the Administrator to lease or outlease vacant or underused space in public buildings or leased buildings. Requires every Federal agency head to furnish the Administrator periodically an inventory of all excess and underused space.

Requires the Administrator to notify specified committees of Congress in writing before disposing of any public building or site suitable for the construction of a public building. Stays such disposal until 30 days after the committees receive such notification.

Title IV: Mixed Use and Adaptive Use in Public Buildings - Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act Amendments of 1983 - Amends the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act of 1976 to direct the Administrator to design, construct, and lease out space for commercial, cultural, educational, and recreational activities. Sets forth conditions for space so leased.

Repeals provisions requiring the Administrator to: (1) identify existing buildings of historic, architectural, or cultural significance suitable for meeting Federal public buildings needs; and (2) notify Congress of the use or nonuse of such buildings.

Title V: Exhibitions and Works of Art - Federal Buildings Enhancement Act of 1983 - Directs the Administrator to: (1) acquire works of art by living American artists to be exhibited in Federal buildings; (2) develop exhibitions for Federal buildings that reflect the heritage or development of the United States; and (3) commission works of art by American artists for Federal buildings. Sets forth standards for such works of art and exhibitions. Requires the Administrator to avoid the development of an official style in architecture or art. Authorizes the Administrator to use one-half of one percent of the sums available for the construction, repair, and acquisition of public buildings for such purposes and one-twentieth of one percent of the sums available for the lease of buildings for such purposes.

Title VI: Architectural Services - Directs the Administrator to employ architects, designers, and urban planners to prepare, under the supervision of the Supervising Architect, plans for such public building projects as the Commissioner of Public Buildings may designate. Requires those architectural designs not prepared in accordance with the above to be procured in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and requires a design competition between at least three qualified architectural firms, with respect to a substantial portion of the public building construction and renovation projects each year. Directs the Administrator to make public the reasons for the selection made. Requires that firms participating in such competition receive no more than one-half of one percent of the expected project costs.

Title VII: Leasing - Requires the Administrator to provide long term comparisons of costs and benefits of construction, acquisition and leasing in recommending public building projects. Specifies that within the next ten years at least 75 percent of Federal employees shall have their principal offices in public buildings, with such percentage being maintained uniformly throughout the country. Prohibits the Administrator from contracting for the construction of any building other than one Government-owned, except under specified circumstances. Prohibits leasing space for specified Federal functions unless necessary to meet immediate and urgent requirements.

Exempts buildings leased pursuant to this Act from provisions requiring money consideration and limiting the amount of rent. Prohibits rental rates from exceeding current commercial rates for space or nearest comparable quality.

Requires the Administrator to publicly solicit sealed bids or competitive proposals to procure space by lease for the Government. Directs the Administrator to provide a copy of the lease agreement to the highest ranking official of each Federal agency in leased buildings. Specifies circumstances in which a lease may be awarded on a noncompetitive basis.

Title VIII: Congressional Authorization - Directs the Administrator to submit annually to Congress a program of necessary projects and actions for the coming fiscal year.

Directs the Administrator: (1) to certify that locally elected officials have been afforded the opportunity for a public hearing in the locality of each major project in the annual program; and (2) to provide final environmental impact statements for such projects.

Prohibits the obligation of any appropriation for a public building without congressional authorization. Requires appropriations for the cost of completion of any public building or the total cost of a lease, before construction may commence or a lease, entered.

Establishes procedures for the authorization of appropriations for Public Buildings Service.

Requires that ten percent of the funds made available to the Service for construction, renovation, alteration, and repair of public buildings be available for unanticipated changes or emergency repairs and requires the submission of an explanatory statement on such changes to specified congressional committees before such funds may be obligated. Authorizes the Administrator to increase expenditures or decrease the amount of space to be constructed, up to specified limits, if the project costs exceed the estimated maximum cost authorized. Directs the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees. Requires congressional approval of any other action.

Title IX: Public Buildings Financing - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to terminate: (1) the Public Buildings Fund; (2) the Administrator's authority to collect standard level user charges from anyone furnished space and services; and (3) the authority of other executive agencies to collect similar charges. Provides for disposition of revenues remaining in the Fund before termination.

Title X: Miscellaneous - Makes this Act effective on January 1, 1984.