[House Report 106-109]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





106th Congress                                                   Report
  1st Session           HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                106-109

=======================================================================



 
                  GARZA-VELA UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

                                _______
                                

   April 27, 1999.--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. 686]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 686) to designate a United States 
courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``Garza-Vela United 
States Courthouse'', having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.
    Reynaldo Garza and Filemon Vela are two distinguished 
judges who sit on the Federal bench in Brownsville, Texas.
    Judge Garza was born in Brownsville, Texas and attended 
local public schools. After graduating from Brownsville Junior 
College, he went on to earn the combined degree of Bachelor of 
Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Texas. After 
graduating from the University of Texas Judge Garza went into 
private practice, until he entered the Air Force during World 
War II. Upon his return from the war, Judge Garza returned to 
private practice until 1961, when President Kennedy appointed 
him to the United States District Court for the Southern 
District of Texas. In 1974, he became the Chief Judge for the 
Southern District in Texas, until he was appointed by President 
Carter to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth 
Circuit. In April of 1997, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 
appointed him Chief Judge of the Temporary Emergency Court of 
Appeals of the United States.
    Judge Vela was born in Harlingen, Texas and attended 
Harlingen local public schools. He went on to attend Texas 
Southmost College, the University of Texas, and St. Mary's 
School of Law in San Antonio, Texas where he graduated with his 
Juris Doctor in 1962. Previous to being appointed to the 
Federal bench, Judge Vela was in the United States Army. He 
also was the Commissioner for the City of Brownsville, and a 
Judge on the 107th Judicial District, Cameron-Willacy County 
Texas.
    Judge Vela was a member of the Judicial Conference 
Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System 
until 1991, a member of the Judges Advisory Committee to the 
United States Sentencing Commission, and active in a number of 
local and state associations associated with civic and 
community activities.
    This is a fitting way to honor two Judges who have 
dedicated their lives to serving their community and their 
country.

                    Hearings and Legislative History

    No hearings were held on H.R. 686.

                        Committee Consideration

    On April 22, 1999, the Full Committee met in open session 
and ordered reported H.R. 686, to designate the United States 
courthouse located in Brownsville, Texas as the ``Garza-Vela 
United States Courthouse,'' approved April 21, 1999 by the 
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, 
Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Transportation, by voice vote 
with a quorum present. There were no recorded votes taken 
during Committee consideration of H.R. 686.

                             Rollcall Votes

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives 
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. 
686 favorably reported. A motion by Mr. Franks to order H.R. 
686 favorably reported to the House was agreed to by voice 
vote, a quorum being present.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          Cost of Legislation

    Clause 3(d)(2) 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 XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII 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 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII 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 on the 
subject of H.R. 686.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII 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. 686 
from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, April 26, 1999.
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 
April 22, 1999. 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. 118, 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. 560, a bill to designate the federal building 
        and United States courthouse located at the 
        intersection of Comercio and San Justo Streets in San 
        Juan, Puerto Rico, as the ``Jose V. Toledo Federal 
        Building and United States Courthouse;''
          H.R. 686, a bill to designate a United States 
        courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``Garza-Vela 
        United States Courthouse;''
          H.R. 1121, a bill to designate the federal building 
        and United States courthouse located at 18 Greenville 
        Street in Newnan, Georgia, as the ``Lewis R. Morgan 
        Federal Building and United States Courthouse;''
          S. 437, an act to designate the United States 
        courthouse under construction at 333 Las Vegas 
        Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the ``Lloyd D. 
        George United States Courthouse;'' and
          S. 460, an act to designate the United States 
        courthouse located at 401 South Michigan Street in 
        South Bend, Indiana, as the ``Robert K. Rodibaugh 
        United States Bankruptcy Courthouse.''
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is John R. 
Righter.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Pursuant to clause (3)(d)(1) of rule XIII 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. (Public Law 104-4.)

                      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. (Public Law 
104-1.)

                                

