Improving Access to Our Courts Act

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

Mr. Speaker, the Improving Access to Our Courts Act 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 districts are comprised of wide areas of land. The Western District of Washington takes up half of Washington State and the Western District of Texas covers the western 68 counties of the State, which is over 92,000 square miles and is so large that it is in two separate time zones.

Consequently, the 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, yet in practice that is exactly what is happening.

It makes no sense that just because someone lives in a more rural, expansive 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 judicial system 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, and I think it is a step worth taking.

We previously passed the House version of this legislation, and I look forward to once again voting in favor of this important legislation, this time to send it to President Biden's desk.

Finally, 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, 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 (S. 227) 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 insert extraneous material on S. 227.

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

Mr. Speaker, Americans depend on the Federal court system to protect their rights and obtain relief when their rights are violated. It is also where criminals are prosecuted, highlighting the importance of making our communities safer. That is why improving and ensuring accessibility to courts for our citizens is so important.

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

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

Both Alpine and Mount Vernon already have existing facilities necessary to hold court, so the cost of the bill is little or nothing. By authorizing these districts to utilize their locations already built, we will reduce the administrative burdens on the court system and logistic burdens on which businesses count.

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 identified a similar hardship for Americans in the Western District of Washington. That is why I support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation and urge both sides of the aisle to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague from New York in urging that this bipartisan bill be passed.

Mr. Speaker, I will close simply by saying it is seldom that people come before this body saying: I have something that will cost the government little or nothing but will save Americans a great deal.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I regrettably missed 22 roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted:

Nay on Roll Call No. 359 on Ordering the Previous Question;

No on Roll Call No. 360 on Agreeing to H. Res. 1370;

YEA on Roll Call No. 361 on S. 3706;

YEA on Roll Call No. 362 on S. 227;

No on Roll Call No. 363 on Ogles 36;

No on Roll Call No. 364, Perry 42;

No on Roll Call No. 365, Perry 43;

No on Roll Call No. 366, Perry 44;

No on Roll Call No. 367, Perry 45;

No on Roll Call No. 368, Perry 46;

No on Roll Call No. 369, Perry 47;

No on Roll Call No. 370, Perry 48;

No on Roll Call No. 371, Perry 49;

No on Roll Call No. 372, Perry 50;

No on Roll Call No. 373, Perry 51;

No on Roll Call No. 374, Rosendale 53;

No on Roll Call No. 375, Roy 54;

No on Roll Call No. 376, Roy 56;

No on Roll Call No. 377, Van Drew 62;

No on Roll Call No. 378, Van Drew 63;

No on Roll Call No. 379, Van Drew 64; and No on Roll Call No. 380 on

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 227 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, I missed the first vote series today due to travel disruptions while returning from a funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 359, YEA on Roll Call No. 360, YEA on Roll Call No. 361, and YEA on Roll Call No. 362.