Norton Hearing Examining Cost-Effective Ways to House & Protect Fed Employees in Leased Office Space

Norton Hearing Examining Cost-Effective Ways to House & Protect Federal Employees in Leased Office Space

WASHINGTON, DC- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, will hold a hearing on Thursday, May 20, 2:00 p.m., room 2167, Rayburn House Office Building, entitled "Too Much for Too Little, Finding the Cost-Risk Balance for Protecting Federal Employees in Leased Space". The hearing will examine the financial implications of the two different security standards for leased office space for federal, civilian workers doing similar work- one standard for Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employees and one for all others. "DOD's standards require that its ‘back office' employees, who do virtually the same administrative work as other federal civilian employees, be housed in office space that is significantly more costly to taxpayers," Norton said.

In today's economic climate, when the President is seeking significant cuts even for DOD, the General Services Administration needs to explain why DOD civilian employees require space that is more secure and more costly than, for example, Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney, employees engaged in work related to terrorism, drug cartels, and other organized crime. The cost implications for DOD facilities have quadrupled the cost to taxpayers for some DOD locations. Norton said, "Today, when we are fighting an unprecedented recession, including job loss and a commercial office mortgage crisis, the DOD standards will write off most urban and suburban settings, where the majority of leased space is located and where there is easy access to public transportation."