The U.S. House of Representatives has passed S 3250 Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010, which includes provisions backed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.

A copy of the bill can be found at www.nema.org/media/pr/upload/S.3250.pdf.  

Passed by the U.S. Senate in July, S 3250 instructs the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop core competencies for federal building managers to ensure that the buildings are safely maintained and operated at maximum performance levels.

According to NEMA President and CEO Evan R. Gaddis, NEMA was involved in shaping the legislation and will be working with GSA to develop the appropriate core competencies for federal building managers.

“Representatives Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Judy Biggert (R-IL), along with Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have been instrumental in advocating this legislation and ensuring that GSA has the needed tools and understanding to properly run and maintain more than 500,000 federal buildings under its purview,” Gaddis said. “We thank them for their leadership and vision in this legislation.”

The Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 will help increase the energy efficiency of the federal government, as mandated through executive order by President Obama on October 5, 2009, and thus reduce its energy consumption.