Rep. JOHN LUIGI MICA say he has "no other priority for the balance of my tenure" in House but making the Federal Trade Commission move out of its HQ!

Lawmaker pushes Federal Trade Commission HQ move

Washington Business Journal - by Sarah Krouse
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2011, 3:00pm EST - Last Modified: Thursday, March 10, 2011, 3:49pm EST

By Sarah Krouse
Email: skrouse@bizjournals.com

Florida Republican Rep. John Mica says he's not going to shove down people's throats his proposal to transfer the Federal Trade Commission's headquarters building to the National Gallery of Art.

But he can assure you, the National Gallery will get that building.

"I have no other priority for the balance of my tenure in Congress," he said at a House subcommittee meeting Thursday.

The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management approved a resolution in February that would transfer the FTC's headquarters, known as the Apex Building at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, to the National Gallery.

Under the resolution, the General Services Administration would vacate and turn over the building to the National Gallery, which would pay to renovate the 260,000-square-foot property to use it for exhibit space.

Mica has said the transfer would save up to $300 million.

But the FTC, which also has offices on New Jersey Avenue NW and M Street NW, wants to stay in the historic building that President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated to the agency in 1937, said GSA Public Buildings Commissioner Bob Peck.

That creates a sticking point as the agency grows. In a recent prospectus, the agency called for another 427,000 square feet of space.

"We have a tenant, a client, who wants to stay in their building, and that's kind of a good thing," Peck said, adding that the GSA tries to keep agencies in owned space like the Apex building.

Peck said he would personally get involved in the standoff — soon.

But Mica is persistent. "I know the FTC commissioners like their views and situation right now, but that shouldn't be the question," the legislator said. "It should be net savings, both for the FTC and National Gallery, and doing it all in a responsible fashion."

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