19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–613 

EDWIN L. MECHEM UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE 

JULY 19, 2012.—Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed 

Mr. MICA, from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 3742] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 3742) to designate the United States 

courthouse located at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New 

Mexico, as the ‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United States Courthouse’’, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose of the Legislation ...................................................................................... 1 

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 ...................................................... 2 

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

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

Advisory of Earmarks .............................................................................................. 3 

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

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

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

Applicability to the Legislative Branch ................................................................. 4 

Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation ............................................................ 4 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 4 

PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

H.R. 3742 would designate the United States courthouse located 

at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as the 

‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United States Courthouse’’. 


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BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 3742 would designate the United States courthouse located 

at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as the 

‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United States Courthouse’’. 

Born in Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1912, Judge Mechem attended local schools until transferring to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received a degree in law. He then returned to New Mexico to practice in Las Cruces and Albuquerque. 

From 1942 to 1945, he served as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and from 1947 to 1948, he served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Judge Mechem 

was elected Governor of New Mexico four times: in 1950, 1952, 

1956, and 1960. Upon the death of United States Senator Dennis 

Chavez, Judge Mechem was appointed United States Senator to 

serve out the remainder of Senator Chavez’s term until November 

1964. And, in 1970, he was appointed by President Richard Nixon 

as a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of New Mexico. He 

served from 1970 to 1982 and took senior status from 1982 until 

his death in 2002. 

HEARINGS

No hearings were held on H.R. 3742. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

On December 20, 2011, Representative Stevan Pearce introduced 

H.R. 3742, a bill to designate the United States courthouse located 

at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as the 

‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United States Courthouse’’. 

On June 7, 2012, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure met in open session, and 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 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. 3742, or ordering 

the bill reported. A motion to order H.R. 3742 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)(1) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in this report. 

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 


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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. 3742 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, June 11, 2012. 

Hon. JOHN L. MICA, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed the following legislation ordered reported by the House 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 7, 2012: 

• H.R. 3742, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

located at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as the ‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United Courthouse’’ and 

• H.R. 4347, a bill to designate the United States courthouse 

located at 709 West 9th Street in Juneau, Alaska, as the ‘‘Robert Boochever United States Courthouse.’’ 

CBO estimates that enacting those pieces of legislation would 

have no significant impact on the federal budget and would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do 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. 

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

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

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF, 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 United States 

courthouse located at 100 North Church Street in Las Cruces, New 

Mexico, as the ‘‘Edwin L. Mechem 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. 


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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’’ 

(P.L. 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. 3742 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 (P.L. 104–1). 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF LEGISLATION

Section 1. Findings 

Section 1 states the findings of the legislation. 

Section 2. Designation 

Section 2 designates the United States courthouse located at 100 

North Church Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as the ‘‘Edwin L. 

Mechem United States Courthouse’’. 

Section 3. References 

Section 3 indicates that 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 ‘‘Edwin L. Mechem United States Courthouse’’. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

H.R. 3742 makes no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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