About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-06-736R 1 (2006-05-19)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptatnn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Sai Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 May 19, 2006 The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison Chair Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Dear Senator Hutchison: Subject: Limitations in the Air Force's Proposed Housing Plan for Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany The Air Force plans to construct 233 military housing units on Spangdahlem Air Base,' Germany at a cost of $131.3 million spread over fiscal years 2006-2008, and to fund 270 build-to-lease units nearby at an annual cost of $32,888 per unit over 20 years. The Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006 directed the Secretary of the Air Force to submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a report containing a housing plan for Spangdahlem.2 The House Conference Report accompanying H.R. 2528 stipulated that the report must include a complete cost-benefit analysis of available housing options to include build-to-lease housing,3 and that none of the funds appropriated for family housing at Spangdahlem-nearly $45.4 million-may be obligated until the Secretary of the Air Force certified to the Appropriations Committees that the report had been completed and received the Committees' response or a 30-day period has elapsed after the Committees receive such report. In response to the mandate, the Air Force issued a report in January 2006 that compared its proposed plan with four 'Hereafter referred to simply as Spangdahlem. 2 Pub. L. No. 109-114, § 130 (2005). 3 According to Air Force officials, the primary benefits of using build to lease are that it provides housing quicker and requires less up-front appropriations from the United States than the traditional military construction method. Under a build-to-lease agreement, the United States contracts with a developer to construct housing for a specified number of units for use by military personnel under a fixed lease term, such as 10 years, with renewal options for additional periods of time. A developer builds the housing with no U.S. government funds and the only investment by the United States is a commitment to lease the housing from the developer once the housing is built. 4 H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 109-305, at 34 (2005). GAO-06-736R Military Housing Page 1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most