To amend title 28, United States Code, to provide an additional place for holding court for the Pecos Division of the Western District of Texas, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 786.

This legislation would amend title 28 of the United States Code to provide an additional place for holding court in the Western District of Texas and in the Western District of Washington. These additional courthouses are needed to better serve the 12.2 million people who call these two districts home.

Both of these districts are comprised of wide areas of land. The Western District of Washington takes up half of Washington State. The Western District of Texas covers the western 68 counties of the State. Citizens of these two districts often need to travel for hours to access the courthouse doors.

On paper, our basic rights do not change depending on where we live. In practice, that is exactly what is happening. It makes no sense that just because someone lives in a more rural, broader district, they should incur dramatically increased travel time and administrative costs to seek justice. Adding courthouses is a small step in the right direction toward making the courthouse doors accessible to all Americans no matter where they live.

The Judicial Conference has recommended the addition of these two courthouses, a recommendation that grew even more urgent after the Western District of Washington's Bellingham facility had part of its roof collapse.

This country cannot have a flourishing justice system when its buildings are falling apart, its staff are underpaid, and there is a perpetual shortage of judges to fairly administer the laws.

This bill will not fix all of these problems, but it will take a small step to help millions of Americans gain equal access to justice. I think it is a step worth taking.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Tony Gonzales, Rick Larsen, and Suzan DelBene in the House, and Senators Cornyn, Murray, Cruz, and Cantwell in the Senate for working on a bipartisan basis to introduce this legislation to improve the lives of the residents of Texas and Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation makes a modest but important change to help improve access to justice for millions of Americans. I thank the sponsors, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 786) to amend title 28, United States Code, to provide an additional place for holding court for the Pecos Division of the Western District of Texas, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 786.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, our courts and judicial system are the envy of the world.

Americans rely on the Federal courts every day to protect their rights and obtain relief when those rights are violated.

They also are the means by which we adjudicate claims that someone has violated our criminal laws.

That is why improving and ensuring accessibility to the courts for our citizens is so important.

This important bill adds just four words to the United States Code to save thousands of Americans in Texas and Washington lengthy and burdensome trips just to reach the nearest Federal courthouse.

This bill authorizes the Federal courts in the Western District of Texas and the Western District of Washington to hold court in Alpine, Texas, and Mount Vernon, Washington, respectively.

Both locations already have existing facilities necessary to hold court, so the cost of this bill is minimal.

By authorizing these courts to utilize these locations, Congress will reduce administrative burdens on the court system and logistical burdens on those with business before these courts.

For example, the Judicial Conference of the United States has noted that Americans in the Western District of Texas must drive as far as 100 miles to reach the courthouse in Pecos, Texas.

The Judicial Conference has identified similar hardships for Americans in the Western District of Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I support this commonsense, bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.