H.R. 2470 — COST of Relocations Act

This section requires a federal agency, prior to submitting a proposal for a covered relocation to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or other reviewing entity, to (1) conduct a benefit-cost analysis consistent with OMB Circular A-4 (as in effect on September 17, 2003); (2) submit an unredacted report on the analysis to the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG), including anticipated outcomes, metrics, employee engagement and stakeholder plans, implementation strategy, risk assessment, mission impacts, and short- and long-term effects; and (3) receive an OIG review report submitted to specified congressional committees within 90 days assessing data used, analysis conclusions, adherence to Circular A-4, and (if relocating from the National Capital Region) real estate comparisons. The agency must publicly release a redacted version of its report excluding proprietary information. (The National Capital Region comprises the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties in Virginia; and related cities—thus, the provision principally constrains significant relocations of federal positions out of the Washington, DC, area.) This section defines covered relocation to include (A) an administrative redelegation of function replacing more than the lesser of 5% or 100 of an agency's positions with new ones outside employees' commuting area; (B) moving an agency or component involving more than the lesser of 5% or 100 positions outside the commuting area or to another agency's jurisdiction; or (C) related combinations thereof; and clarifies that the provision does not abrogate other legal requirements.