59–006 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 110–20 

R. JESS BROWN UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE 

FEBRUARY 16, 2007.—Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed 

Mr. OBERSTAR, from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 399] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 399) to designate the United States 

Courthouse to be constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, as the ‘‘R. 

Jess Brown United States Courthouse’’, having considered the 

same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill to pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

H.R. 399 designates the United States Courthouse to be constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, as the R. Jess Brown United 

States Courthouse. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

R. Jess Brown was born in Coffeeville, Kansas, on September 2, 

1912, and was the only son of Ernestine and Joe Brown. He was 

educated in the Muskogee, Oklahoma, public school system. He received a Bachelor of Education degree from Illinois State University, known then as Illinois State Normal University, in 1935, and 

a Master of Education degree from the University of Indiana in 

1943. He attended Texas Southern Law School. 

In 1948, he was a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit for equal salaries for 

Jackson, Mississippi, school teachers. 

In 1953, he was admitted to the bar for the State of Mississippi 

and admitted to practice before the United States District Court for 

the Southern District of Mississippi. In 1955, he co-founded the 

Magnolia Bar Association, and he later served on the Board of the 

National Bar Association for nearly 15 years. In 1958, he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. 

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As Associate Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Brown filed the first civil rights suit in Mississippi 

in the 1950s in Jefferson Davis County seeking the enforcement of 

the right of black citizens to become registered voters. In 1961, 

Brown represented James H. Meredith in his suit to be allowed to 

enter the University of Mississippi; his victory in this case opened 

the doors of that university to all of Mississippi’s citizens. While 

with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, he played a major role in 

fighting discrimination in the areas of transportation and other 

public accommodations working along side Thurgood Marshall, who 

would later become Associate Justice of the United States Supreme 

Court. 

Brown also served as counsel for the American Civil Liberties 

Union, where he was successful in obtaining reversals of convictions of black defendants due to discrimination in jury selection. He 

also represented numerous black defendants in cases where the 

State sought the death penalty. As a result of these appeals, none 

of these defendants were ever executed. 

R. Jess Brown died in Jackson, Mississippi, on January 2, 1990. 

R. Jess Brown will be remembered as more than a brilliant attorney and civil rights leader; he will also be remembered as a great 

American. As such, it is very appropriate that the United States 

Court House in Jackson, Mississippi, be designated as the ‘‘R. Jess 

Brown United States Courthouse’’. 

SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Designation 

Section 1 designates the United States Courthouse to be constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, as the R. Jess Brown United 

States Courthouse. 

Section 2. References 

Section 2 states any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper or other record of the United States to the courthouse 

referred to in Section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 

R. Jess Brown United States Courthouse. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

In the 109th Congress, H.R. 4426, an identical bill, was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure. No further action was taken on the bill. 

On January 10, 2007, Representative Thompson (MS) introduced 

H.R. 399 and it was referred to the Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure. 

On February 6, 2007, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management met in open 

session and favorably recommended H.R. 399 to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure by voice vote. 

On February 7, 2007, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure met in open session and ordered H.R. 399 reported favorably to the House by voice vote. 

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RECORD 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 record 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. 399 reported. A motion to order H.R. 399 reported favorably to the House was agreed 

to by voice vote with a quorum present. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(I) 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(c)(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 in the report. 

2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the performance goals 

and objective of this legislation are to designate the United States 

Courthouse to be constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, as the R. 

Jess Brown United States Courthouse. 

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 

enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 399 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office. 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, February 8, 2007. 

Hon. JAMES L. OBERSTAR, 

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House 

of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed the following bills as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on February 7, 2007: 

• H.R. 584, a bill to designate the Federal building located 

at 400 Maryland Avenue Southwest in the District of Columbia, as the ‘‘Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education 

Building’’; 

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• H.R. 544, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

at South Federal Place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the 

‘‘Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse’’; 

• H.R. 478, a bill to designate the Federal building and 

United States courthouse located at 101 Barr Street in Lexington, Kentucky, as the ‘‘Scott Reed Federal Building and 

United States Courthouse’’; 

• H.R. 430, a bill to designate the United States bankruptcy 

courthouse located at 271 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New 

York, as the ‘‘Conrad B. Duberstein United States Bankruptcy 

Courthouse’’; 

• H.R. 429, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

located at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York, as the 

‘‘Hugh L. Carey United States Courthouse’’; 

• H.R. 399, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

to be constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, as the ‘‘R. Jess 

Brown United States Courthouse’’; and 

• H.R. 342, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

located at 555 Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the ‘‘Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr., United States 

Courthouse.’’

CBO estimates that enactment of these bills would have no significant impact on the federal budget and would not affect direct 

spending or revenues. These 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. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 

Pickford. 

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG, 

Director. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XXI

Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 

Representatives, H.R. 399 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 

clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 

Representatives. 

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 

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pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(Public Law 104–4). 

PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the 

report of any Committee on a bill or joint resolution to include a 

statement on the extent to which the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, or tribal law. The Committee states 

that H.R. 399 does not preempt any state, local, or tribal law. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act are 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). 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

H.R. 399 makes no changes in existing law. 

Æ 

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