[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 178 (Tuesday, December 3, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6212-H6213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONSOLIDATION OF CERTAIN DIVISIONS IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA
Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 7177) to amend title 28, United States Code, to consolidate
certain divisions in the Northern District of Alabama, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7177
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONSOLIDATION OF CERTAIN DIVISIONS IN THE NORTHERN
DISTRICT OF ALABAMA.
Section 81(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``seven'' and inserting ``five'';
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and Lauderdale'' and
inserting ``Lauderdale, and Lawrence'';
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``Lawrence,'';
(B) by inserting after ``Madison,'' the following:
``Marshall,''; and
(C) by striking ``and Decatur'';
(4) in paragraph (4), by striking ``Clay, Cleburne,'' and
inserting ``Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Saint
Clair,'';
(5) in paragraph (5), by striking ``Greene, Pickens,
Sumter, and Tuscaloosa'' and inserting ``Fayette, Greene,
Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and
Winston'';
(6) by striking paragraph (6); and
(7) by striking paragraph (7).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ISSA. Madam 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. 7177.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, this is, in fact, a good, commonsense reform that has
come from the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong), who has shepherded
this bill.
At this time, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Strong) to speak on his bill.
Mr. STRONG. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 7177, which will
improve the organization of the Federal courts in the Northern District
of Alabama.
Specifically, this bill will ensure that Alabamians are assigned to
the closest and most convenient Federal courthouse, which will
eliminate unnecessary and burdensome travel expenses. This commonsense
proposal, which was
[[Page H6213]]
approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States earlier this
year, reflects how cases have been managed following courthouse
closures for over 60-plus years since these boundaries were last
amended.
The Judicial Conference said it best: H.R. 7177 supports the
efficient administration of justice.
I thank the Members of the Alabama delegation who have joined me to
support the efficient administration of justice in north Alabama. I
urge all of our colleagues to join me in supporting this proposal.
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7177, which would
amend title 28 of the United States Code to consolidate certain
divisions in the Northern District of Alabama. By reducing the
divisions of the Northern District of Alabama from seven to five and
reorganizing some Alabama counties within those divisions, this bill
reallocates the judicial docket across the district, ensuring that the
2.8 million residents of the Northern District of Alabama have access
to a speedy judicial system.
When a courthouse closes, we may not hear about it here in our
Nation's Capital, but the people who live and work in those judicial
districts are intimately aware of the deleterious effect of courthouse
closures on their community: Office workers lose their jobs. Other
nearby courthouses become overcrowded, and thousands of people are left
wondering if our judicial system will still work for them when they
need it most.
That is exactly what is happening in the Northern District of
Alabama. After courthouses closed, the district itself requested these
changes, which were elevated to Congress by the Judicial Conference of
the United States earlier this year. These changes prescribed in this
legislation are not meaningless, technical edits. Moving some Alabama
counties to different judicial divisions would make a world of
difference to the people who live and work in those communities.
About 59 percent of the population of Alabama lives in the Northern
District, which includes 31 of the State's 67 counties, and 2 of the
State's most populous cities, Birmingham and Huntsville. Since so many
Americans rely on the Northern District of Alabama to access our
courthouse doors, the judicial system there must be able to spread a
large volume of cases across its different divisions.
This is not a question of apportionment. Our country cannot have a
flourishing justice system when residents are unduly burdened in their
attempts to access it.
Madam Speaker, I thank the Representatives from Alabama, especially
the sponsor, Congressman Strong, for introducing this legislation, and
I encourage all of my colleagues to support the bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time for the purposes of closing.
Madam Speaker, by reallocating the judicial docket across the
district, this bill ensures that 2.8 million residents of the Northern
District of Alabama have access to a speedy judicial system. In a
Nation such as ours, where the population is constantly evolving, our
judicial system must be responsive to the needs of residents no matter
where they live.
Constituents in different divisions of the Northern District of
Alabama deserve a courthouse that is geographically convenient so that
they do not have to drive hours away from home to access the American
judicial system.
Responding to the needs of these residents is a small step in the
right direction toward making our judicial system work for everyone,
not just those who are fortunate enough to live close to a Federal
courthouse in a metropolis.
Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the bill and send it to
the Senate, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for
the purposes of closing.
Madam Speaker, we are the United States of America, and it is, in
fact, the people of the State of Alabama who have asked for this, the
people's Representatives of Alabama who have unanimously supported it,
and the Judicial Conference which studied it and found it to be
appropriate.
Today, I am honored to be part of the other 49 States ratifying the
need of one in their best interest as they brought it to us, which is,
in fact, what the United States was formed for, is to support the
common good and the individual States in any way that we can.
Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, vote it out, and
send it to the Senate. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 7177, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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