[House Report 105-617]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
105th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 105-617
_______________________________________________________________________
JAMES F. BATTIN UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
_______
July 14, 1998.--Referred to the House calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______________________________________________________________________
Mr. Shuster, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3696]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 3696) to designate the Federal
Courthouse located at 316 North 26th Street in Billings,
Montana, as the ``James F. Battin Federal Courthouse'', having
considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments
and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The United States courthouse located at 316 North 26th Street in
Billings, Montana, shall be known and designated as the ``James F.
Battin United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other
record of the United States to the United States courthouse referred to
in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``James F. Battin
United States Courthouse''.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to designate the United States courthouse located at 316
North 26th Street in Billings, Montana, as the ``James F. Battin United
States Courthouse''.
background
James F. Battin was born in Wichita, Kansas on February 13,
1925, and later moved to Montana where he attended the public
schools, graduating from high school in 1942. Upon graduation,
he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for three
years, a majority of this time being spent during World War II
in the Pacific theater.
After serving his country in the Pacific, Congressman
Battin returned to Montana and earned his B.A. degree from
Eastern Montana College in Billings, Montana in 1948. He then
continued on to earn his J.D. at the George Washington
University Law School in Washington, D.C., in 1951. He was
admitted to the Washington, D.C. Bar in 1951 and entered
private practice.
In 1953, Judge Battin returned to Billings, Montana, to
begin practice in the public sector. From 1953 until 1955, he
held the position of deputy Yellowstone County attorney. In
1955, Judge Battin first held the secretary-counsel position
for the Billings-Yellowstone City-County Planning Board for a
short period of time, and later that same year became the
Assistant City Attorney and then City Attorney in 1957.
In 1958, Judge Battin was elected to the Montana State
House of Representatives. He was elected to represent Montana
in the United States House of Representatives in the 87th
Congress, and he was returned to office for four succeeding
terms, from January 3, 1961 until February 27, 1969. During his
tenure in Congress, Judge Battin served on the Committee on
Committees, the Executive Committee, the Judiciary Committee,
the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Ways and Means
Committee. Additionally, he represented the United States at an
International Conference on European Migration in Geneva,
Switzerland, and was appointed by the Speaker of the House to
the United States Coinage Commission.
On February 27, 1969, President Nixon appointed Judge
Battin to the United States District Court for the District of
Montana. Judge Battin became Chief Judge in 1978 and held the
position until 1990, when he elected to take senior status.
From the bench he diligently served the District of Montana, as
well as serving additional assignments in United States
District Courts in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona,
Hawaii, and Georgia.
This designation is a fitting tribute to a distinguished
jurist and public servant.
hearings
The Committee did not hold hearings on H.R. 3696.
committee consideration
On June 25, 1998, the Committee met in open session and
ordered reported H.R. 3696, as amended, to designate the United
States courthouse located at 316 North 26th Street, Billings,
Montana, as the ``James F. Battin United States Courthouse,''
unanimously by voice vote, a quorum being present.
rollcall votes
Clause 2(l)(2)(B) of rule XI requires each committee report
to include the total number of votes cast for and against on
each rollcall vote on a motion to report and on any amendment
offered to the measure or matter, and the names of those
members voting for and against. There were no recorded votes
taken in connection with ordering H.R. 3696 reported. A motion
by Mr. Kim to order H.R. 3696 reported to the House, as
amended, was agreed to by voice vote, a quorum being present.
committee oversight findings
Pursuant to clause 2(l)(3)(A) of rule XI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, oversight findings and
recommendations have been made by the Committee as reflected in
this report.
cost of the legislation
Clause 7 of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is
included in this report.
compliance with house rule xi
1. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(B) of
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee
references the report of the Congressional Budget Office
included below.
2. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(D) of
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee has received no report of oversight findings and
recommendations from the Committee on Government Reform and
Oversight on the subject of H.R. 3696.
3. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(C) of
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
Section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the
Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R.
3696, as amended, from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office.
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, June 25, 1998.
Hon. Bud Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
reviewed the following bills, which were ordered reported by
the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on
June 25, 1998. CBO estimates that their enactment would have no
significant impact on the federal budget and would not affect
direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go
procedures would not apply. The bills contain no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on
state, local, or tribal governments. The bills reviewed are:
H.R. 2379, a bill to designate the federal building
and United States courthouse located at 251 North Main
Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as the ``Hiram
H. Ward Federal Building and United States
Courthouse;''
H.R. 2787, a bill to designate the United States
courthouse located at 141 Church Street in New Haven,
Connecticut, as the ``Richard C. Lee United States
Courthouse;''
H.R. 3223, a bill to designate the federal building
located at 300 East 8th Street in Austin, Texas, as the
``J.J. `Jake' Pickle Federal Building;''
H.R. 3696, a bill to designate the federal courthouse
located at 316 North 26th Street in Billings, Montana,
as the ``James F. Battin United States Courthouse;''
H.R. 3982, a bill to designate the federal building
located at 310 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, North
Carolina, as the ``Terry Sanford Federal Building;''
and
S. 1800, an act to designate the federal building and
United States courthouse located at 85 Marconi
Boulevard in Columbus, Ohio, as the ``Joseph P.
Kinneary United States Courthouse.''
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is John R.
Righter. This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Sincerely,
June E. O'Neill, Director.
constitutional authority statement
Pursuant to clause (2)(l)(4) of rule XI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, committee reports on a bill or joint
resolution of a public character shall include a statement
citing the specific powers granted to the Congress in the
Constitution to enact the measure. The Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure finds that Congress has the
authority to enact this measure pursuant to its powers granted
under article I, section 8 of the Constitution.
federal mandates statement
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
advisory committee statement
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
applicability to the legislative branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
changes in existing law made by the bill, as reported
H.R. 3696, as amended, makes no changes in existing law.