Courthouse Affordability and Space Efficiency Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3426 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3426

To amend title 40, United States Code, to limit the construction of new
    courthouses under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2025

Mr. Shreve (for himself and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill;
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title 40, United States Code, to limit the construction of new
    courthouses under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Courthouse Affordability and Space
Efficiency (CASE) Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. REDUCING COSTS RELATED TO COURTHOUSES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 33 of title 40, United States Code, as
amended by this act, is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
``Sec. 3320. Reducing costs related to courthouses
    ``(a) Limitation on New Courthouses.--The Administrator of General
Services may not commence construction of any new courthouse if--
            ``(1) construction has not begun on or before the date of
        enactment of this section; and
            ``(2) the design and construction of the new courthouse
        fails to comply, at a minimum, with the courtroom sharing
        requirements described in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Courtroom Sharing Requirements Defined.--The term `courtroom
sharing requirements' means--
            ``(1) in courthouses with 10 or more active district
        judges, 2 courtrooms per 3 active district judges, except such
        courthouses may contain not less than 9 courtrooms for active
        district judges;
            ``(2) in courthouses with 3 or more bankruptcy judges, 1
        courtroom per 2 bankruptcy judges;
            ``(3) in courthouses with 3 or more senior district judges,
        1 courtroom per 2 senior district judges; and
            ``(4) in courthouses with 3 or more magistrate judges, 1
        courtroom per 2 magistrate judges.
    ``(c) United States Courts Design Guide.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this section, the Design Guide for
courthouses shall be updated to incorporate courtroom sharing
requirements to the maximum extent practicable.
    ``(d) Utilization.--If a new courthouse will add capacity in the
inventory of the General Services Administration, existing space in the
same courthouse complex must be fully utilized or relinquished from the
inventory of the General Services Administration.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 33 of title 40,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``3320. Reducing costs related to courthouses.''.
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