Committee hears bill language to restore and expand state property inventory reporting (H.50)

The Senate Committee on Institutions on April 17 considered language tied to H.50 that would expand and formalize state reporting of real property and leasable space maintained by the Department of Buildings and General Services.

Agency staff told the committee they already maintain a detailed annual "space book" listing state-owned and leased buildings, land holdings, tower leases, rest areas, vacant properties and buildings, square footage and rentable area by town and by occupant. "We have this information, and we report it every year," said the agency presenter, describing a document the committee members can review online.

Why it matters: the bill’s amendments would require the commissioner to collect, annually, a full inventory of state-owned buildings and land and to submit that inventory to legislative committees at the start of each legislative biennium. Committee members asked whether the inventory includes leased property. The agency confirmed leased properties are included and recommended the bill language read "owned and/or leased" to avoid ambiguity.

What the bill would change: staff described two specific changes. First, the existing statute requiring an inventory of state-owned buildings would be clarified to include land. Second, a new subsection would require that "on or before January 15 of the new legislative biennium, the commissioner shall submit to the House Committee on Corrections and Senate the inventory maintained under subsection e." The agency told the committee it supported the amended language and that compiling the inventory would generally involve sending a simple form to other state agencies and incorporating their existing inventory spreadsheets into the space book.

Details from the space book: the agency said the space book lists rentable area, the number of workstations, occupants, addresses, and operating cost groupings used to calculate internal "fee for space" charges. "So it's really a very detailed important document," the agency presenter said, adding that the state currently manages about 3,062,985 square feet of state-owned space. The department described different regional groupings for cost allocation and said correctional facilities are handled separately because 24/7 operations would otherwise raise fee calculations for unrelated office occupants.

Committee concerns and clarifications: senators asked whether the department would evaluate parcels for housing suitability; agency staff said BGS would not perform suitability evaluations but would provide the inventory data legislators and other agencies could use for further study. The committee also discussed the history of the inventory: the agency said the separate collection of other-agency land holdings ceased in the early 2000s and that H.50 would restore that practice.

Ending: Agency staff said they support the House-passed language as amended and will include leased property in the inventory. Committee members asked for further technical clarifications on form design and timing; the agency said it collects the data annually (work begins in July for the next fiscal year) and will coordinate with other agencies to avoid duplicative work.