SPACE Act of 2025
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The SPACE Act would direct the General Services Administration to work with agencies that lease federal office space to develop criteria and objectives for expanding shared-space and collocation arrangements.
It would require GSA to brief Congress within six months of enactment on how it is implementing these collaboration requirements, building on an existing federal property provision.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would require the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), in carrying out an existing provision from the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, to collaborate with tenants of federally leased space. GSA would need to identify tenant concerns about shared-space arrangements, develop criteria to facilitate expanded space-sharing or collocating, identify how special-use spaces can improve space-sharing, and establish measurable objectives, developed with tenant input, to gauge the success of shared-space arrangements among federal agencies.
The bill would also require GSA to brief the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works within six months of enactment on how it is implementing these requirements. The bill does not create new leasing authority, funding, or penalties; it directs a collaborative planning and reporting process layered onto an existing statutory provision.
Key provisions
- 1Would require GSA to collaborate with federal tenants to identify concerns around shared-space arrangements
- 2Would require GSA to develop criteria facilitating expanded use of space-sharing or collocating
- 3Would require GSA to identify how special-use spaces can improve space-sharing or collocating
- 4Would require GSA to establish measurable objectives, developed with tenant input, to quantify shared-space success
- 5Would require GSA to brief relevant House and Senate committees on implementation within six months of enactment
Who would be affected
Federal agencies that lease office space from GSA and occupy federally leased buildings, GSA officials responsible for managing shared-space arrangements, and the congressional committees that would receive the required implementation briefing.
Why it matters
If enacted, federal tenant agencies would gain a more structured process for raising concerns about sharing office space and would have input into criteria and success metrics for collocation. Congress would gain visibility into GSA's progress through the required briefing, potentially informing future decisions about federal real estate efficiency.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (40 U.S.C. 584 note), Sec. 2302 (Sec. 2(a))
Directs GSA, in carrying out this existing shared-space provision, to add specific tenant collaboration, criteria development, and objective-setting steps.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- GSA briefing to Congress on implementation of the collaboration requirements
How implementation would work
GSA would carry out these requirements as part of implementing an existing provision from the 2024 Carper Water Resources Development Act. It would consult with tenant agencies to surface concerns, draft criteria and identify special-use spaces suited to sharing, and set measurable success objectives jointly with tenants. Within six months of enactment, GSA would brief the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on its progress implementing these steps, giving Congress a checkpoint on the collaborative process.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Official CRS summary
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This bill directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to collaborate with federal agencies regarding the use of shared-space arrangements in federally leased buildings.
The GSA must (1) collaborate with tenants of federally leased space to better identify concerns around shared-space arrangements; (2) develop criteria that would facilitate the expanded use of space sharing; (3) identify how special-use space can be used to improve space sharing; and (4) establish measurable objectives, in consultation with tenants, to quantify the success of shared-space arrangements among federal agencies.
GSA must brief Congress on implementation of the bill within six months after the bill's enactment.
Legislative subjects
Congressional oversight; Government Operations and Politics; Government buildings, facilities, and property
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-238