Courthouse Affordability and Efficiency

Summary#

This bill adds a new section to federal law about courthouses. It stops the General Services Administration (GSA) from starting construction of a new courthouse unless the design follows specific courtroom-sharing rules. Those rules set minimum numbers of courtrooms based on how many active district judges, bankruptcy judges, senior district judges, or magistrate judges work in a courthouse. The bill also requires the courthouse design guide to be updated within 180 days to include courtroom-sharing guidance. If a new courthouse would add capacity to the GSA inventory, existing space in the same courthouse complex must be fully used or given up from the GSA inventory.

What it means for you#

• GSA may not begin a new courthouse project that has not already started unless the design meets the courtroom-sharing rules in the bill.
• The courtroom-sharing rules specify ratios (for example, certain courthouses must have 2 courtrooms for every 3 active district judges, with at least 9 courtrooms for active district judges in larger courthouses).
• The official courthouse design guide must be updated within 180 days to include these requirements.
• If a new building increases GSA inventory capacity, GSA must fully use or relinquish existing space in that same courthouse complex.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill's text and short title state that it aims to reduce costs and improve space efficiency for courthouses.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.