59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 114–772 

R.E. THOMASON FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED 

STATES COURTHOUSE 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016.—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. 5873] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 5873) to designate the Federal building 

and United States courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and 

United States Courthouse’’, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 

do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose of Legislation ............................................................................................. 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 2 

Legislative History and Consideration .................................................................. 2 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 2 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 2 

New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures ...................................................... 3 

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .......................................................... 3 

Performance Goals and Objectives ......................................................................... 3 

Advisory of Earmarks .............................................................................................. 4 

Duplication of Federal Programs ............................................................................ 4 

Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings ..................................................................... 4 

Federal Mandate Statement ................................................................................... 4 

Preemption Clarification ......................................................................................... 4 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 4 

Applicability of Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 4 

Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation ............................................................ 5 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 5 


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PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

H.R. 5873 designates the Federal building and United States 

courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, 

Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and United States 

Courthouse’’. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 5873 designates the Federal building and United States 

courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, 

Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and United States 

Courthouse’’. 

The Honorable Robert Ewing Thomason served as a judge on the 

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas from 1947 

until his death in 1973. He was nominated to the bench by President Harry S. Truman. Prior to his appointment, he served as a 

United States Representative from the state of Texas from 1931 to 

1947. Prior to that, he was Mayor of El Paso, Texas. Judge 

Thomason also served as a Texas state representative from 1917 to 

1921 and as Speaker from 1920 to 1921. 

Earlier in his career, he was in the private practice of law and 

served as District Attorney for Cooke County, Texas. 

He received his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University 

and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. 

HEARINGS

No hearings were held on H.R. 5873. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

On July 14, 2016, Representative Beto O’Rourke (D–TX) introduced H.R. 5873, a bill to designate the Federal building and 

United States courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue 

in El Paso, Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and 

United States Courthouse’’. 

On September 14, 2016 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure met in open session. The Committee ordered the bill 

reported favorably to the House by voice vote with a quorum 

present. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules 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 

record votes taken in connection with consideration of H.R. 5873. 

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. 


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NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

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. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

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. 5873 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, September 16, 2016. 

Hon. BILL SHUSTER, 

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed the following bills ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on September 14, 

2016: 

• H.R. 5011, a bill to designate the Federal building and 

United States courthouse located at 300 Fannin Street in 

Shreveport, Louisiana, as the ‘‘Tom Stagg United States Courthouse’’; and 

• H.R. 5873, a bill to designate the Federal building and 

United States courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building 

and United States Courthouse.’’ 

CBO estimates that enacting the bills would have no significant 

effect on the federal budget and would not affect direct spending 

or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

CBO also estimates that enacting the bills would not increase net 

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year periods beginning in 2027. 

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. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew Pickford. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL, 

Director. 

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

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

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the performance goal 

and objective of this legislation is to designate the Federal building 

and United States courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio AveVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Sep 24, 2016 Jkt 059006 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR772.XXX HR772

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nue in El Paso, Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and 

United States Courthouse’’. 

ADVISORY OF EARMARKS

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

Representatives, the Committee is required to include a list of congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits 

as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives. No provision in the bill includes an 

earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit under clause 

9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of rule XXI. 

DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to section 3(g) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015), the 

Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 5873 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another federal program, a program that was included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139, or a program related 

to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. 

DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015), the 

Committee finds that enacting H.R. 5873 does not direct the completion of a specific rule making within the meaning of section 551 

of title 5, United States Code. 

FEDERAL MANDATE 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). 

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. 5873 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 OF 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). 


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SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF LEGISLATION, AS AMENDED

Section 1. Designation 

Section 1 designates the Federal building and United States 

courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, 

Texas, as the ‘‘R.E. Thomason Federal Building and United States 

Courthouse’’. 

Section 2. References 

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

building referred to in subsection (a) as a reference to the ‘‘R.E. 

Thomason Federal Building and United States Courthouse’’. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

H.R. 5873 makes no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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