[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 47 (Monday, April 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3311-S3312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH:
  S. 1666. A bill to authorize the Federal District Court for the 
Central Division of Utah to hold court in Provo and St. George; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.


 THE CENTRAL DIVISION OF UTAH FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT AUTHORIZATION ACT 
                                OF 1996

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I introduce a bill that would permit 
the Federal District Court of the Central Division of Utah to hold 
court in Provo and St. George. Under the relevant statutory provision, 
title 28, United States Code, section 125, District Court for the 
Northern Division of Utah may be held only in Ogden, and District Court 
for the Central Division of Utah may be held only in Salt Lake City.
  The central division of Utah, however, is quite expansive: it 
encompasses 23 counties and spreads from the Salt Lake region down to 
Utah's southern

[[Page S3312]]

border. Due to the division's size, those involved in district court 
proceedings, whether as litigants, jurors, or lawyers, must travel to 
Salt Lake City for district court. The district judges and others in 
Utah have become concerned about inconveniences that have arisen due to 
the statutory constraints on the places of holding court in Utah.
  On January 9, 1996, the district judges for the District of Utah 
voted to approve an amendment to title 28, United States Code, section 
125 that would permit district court for the central division of Utah 
to be held not only in Salt Lake City, but also in Provo and St. 
George. The bill I introduce today embodies those changes. The Utah 
State Bar supports the bill.
  This bill will help Utahns by facilitating the administration of 
justice in Utah, and by permitting easier access to the district courts 
to citizens and litigants throughout Utah, who have often had to travel 
to Salt Lake City to have their cases and concerns heard.
  Provo itself is a significant city with a population of 86,835. The 
neighboring city of Orem, UT, adds a population of 67,561 to Provo's 
immediate region. St. George, while a smaller city, is located in the 
southwest corner of Utah, and would provide a convenient location for 
citizens of southern Utah.
  The minor modifications embodied in the bill will place Utah in a 
similar position to many other States in which district court may be 
held at numerous statutorily designated locations. The vast majority of 
States enjoy far more than two places in which district court can be 
held. Just to cite a few examples, 13 cities in Alabama are designated 
as cities in which district court may sit, 11 cities in Arkansas are so 
designated, 17 cities in Georgia are named, 12 cities in Iowa are 
included, and 23 cities in Oklahoma are listed.
  Under current law, only Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and 
Rhode Island stand with Utah in having two or fewer locations in which 
district court may be held. Utah is the largest of those States. Even 
with the change, a mere four cities in Utah will be designated as 
places for holding district court.
  I note for my colleagues that the bill does not require any 
additional appropriations or any courthouse construction. It simply 
permits court to be held in two additional locations.
  I ask unanimous consent that the entire text of the bill be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1666

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. HOLDING OF DISTRICT COURT IN PROVO AND ST. GEORGE, 
                   UTAH.

       Section 125(2) of title 28, United States Code, is amended 
     by inserting ``, Provo, and St. George'' after ``Salt Lake 
     City''.
                                 ______