On the recordJuly 20, 2010
I would like to make the observation, Madam Speaker, that the gentleman took the lead in our Public Buildings Subcommittee many years ago, during his first term in Congress, on courthouses. The gentleman has saved the taxpayers of this country tens of millions of dollars, perhaps now in the hundreds of millions, by requiring, through his persistent campaign, courtroom sharing. Madam Speaker, I'll say to the gentleman from Tennessee that I don't know how CBO scores that, but I know that, in our committee, I score it as a net savings to the public. We have built better courthouses, more courthouses and more efficient service to the public in requiring this very simple step of sharing courtrooms. To his great credit, the gentleman from Tennessee led the effort on it; and it has resulted in real savings, just as this legislation is resulting in real savings. I tip my hat to the gentleman from Tennessee for his persistence in looking at those very specific ways in which we can achieve our goals.
