[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.