Text of Senate Amendment 6645

On 2026-07-13, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6645" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6645

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3846-S3850] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6645. Mr. TILLIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for [[Page S3847]] military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of title X, add the following: Subtitle H--Judicial Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act of 2026 SEC. 1095. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the ``Judicial Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act of 2026''. SEC. 1096. PILOT PROGRAM FOR TRANSFER OF CERTAIN JUDICIAL BRANCH ACCOMMODATIONS AND AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR. (a) In General.--Chapter 41 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 604 the following: ``Sec. 604A. Pilot program for transfer of jurisdiction, custody, and control of certain judicial branch accommodations to the Director; authority of the Director ``(a) Definitions.--In this section: ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the Administrator of General Services. ``(2) Alter.--The term `alter' includes-- ``(A) preliminary planning, engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal, and economic investigations and studies, conducting surveys, preparing designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, and procedures, and other similar actions necessary for the alteration of any space or facility; and ``(B) repairing, remodeling, improving, extending, or making any other change in any space or facility. ``(3) Construct.--The term `construct' includes preliminary planning, engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal, and economic investigations and studies, conducting surveys, preparing designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, and procedures, and any other similar action necessary for the construction of any space or facility. ``(4) Court accommodation.--The term `court accommodation' includes-- ``(A) the chambers and courtrooms of the Judiciary (other than the Supreme Court of the United States); and ``(B) accommodations for all court-related functions and for probation offices, pretrial service offices, Federal Public Defender Organizations, the United States Sentencing Commission, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, and any other administrative or clerical personnel associated with the Judiciary. ``(5) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. ``(6) Facility; building.--The terms `facility' or `building' mean any building or other structure, including its grounds, approaches, appurtenances, and parking spaces, or any part thereof. ``(7) Federal agency; property.--The terms `Federal agency' and `property' have the meanings given the terms `federal agency' and `property', respectively, in section 102 of title 40. ``(8) Pilot program.--The term `pilot program' means the program of all real property, to include federally owned property and leases, in up to 10 judicial districts and the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, where jurisdiction, custody, and control have been transferred to the Director ``(9) Public building.--The term `public building' has the meaning given the term in section 3301(a) of title 40. ``(10) Space.--The term `space' means any interest, whether fee simple or otherwise, in real property, including land, buildings, structures, or parts thereof. ``(b) Limit to Pilot Program.--This section shall only apply to the pilot program. ``(c) Authority of Director.--The Director is authorized to establish a Judiciary Buildings Service under the direction of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to-- ``(1) acquire, by purchase, condemnation, donation, exchange, transfer, or otherwise, any space or facility that the Director determines to be necessary for the provision of court accommodations; ``(2) manage and operate any space or facility described in paragraph (1); ``(3) alter any space or facility that is acquired under the authority of this section as the Director determines is necessary for the provision of court accommodations; ``(4) acquire and exercise any option for the acquisition or lease of any land or an interest in land as the Director determines is necessary for the provision of court accommodations; ``(5) construct such facilities as the Director determines is necessary for the provision of court accommodations; ``(6) lease, or acquire and exercise any option for the acquisition of a lease, any space or facility as the Director deems necessary for the provision of court accommodations and manage that lease; ``(7) outlease space; ``(8) contract for utility services; ``(9) secure facilities in coordination with the United States Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service; ``(10) provide by contract or otherwise for the provision of amenities, such as childcare, cafeterias, physical fitness centers, credit unions, and others, to serve tenants and, if appropriate, the public; ``(11) pay rent and make repairs, alterations, and improvements under the terms of a lease for court accommodations entered into by, or transferred to, the Director; ``(12) pay ground rent for buildings owned by the Federal Government or occupied by Federal agencies, and pay rent in advance for leased property if required by law or if the Director determines that advance payment is in the interest of the Judiciary; and ``(13) perform such other duties as necessary to implement this section. ``(d) Delegation of Authority.--The Director may delegate any authority authorized by this section. The Director may authorize successive redelegation of authority as permitted by this section. ``(e) Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Services.--The Director is authorized to employ, by contract or otherwise, the services of architectural, engineering, and construction firms, corporations, or individuals, to the extent the Director may require such services for any space or facility authorized to be constructed or altered under this section. ``(f) Operation and Maintenance.--The Director is authorized to employ, by contract or otherwise, the services of corporations, firms, or individuals for the operation and maintenance of any building under the jurisdiction, custody, and control of the Director, to the extent the Director may require such services. ``(g) Construction.-- ``(1) Replacement of existing buildings.--If the Director considers it to be in the best interest of the Judiciary to construct a new space or facility to take the place of an existing space or facility, the Director may demolish the existing building and use the site on which it is located for the site of the proposed space or facility. If the Director believes that it is more advantageous to construct the space or facility on a different site in the same city, town, or other municipality, the Director may exchange the building and site, or the site, for another site, or may transfer the building and site. ``(2) Exchange or transfer of sites.--If the Director determines that a site acquired for the construction of a space or facility is not suitable for that purpose, the Director may-- ``(A) exchange the site for another site; or ``(B) declare the site to be excess and transfer the site to the Administrator. ``(3) Construction or alteration by contract or otherwise.--The Administrator may carry out a construction or alteration authorized by this section by contract if the Director considers it to be most advantageous to the Government. ``(h) Leasing.-- ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a lease agreement under this section shall be on terms the Director considers to be in the best interest of the judicial branch and necessary for the accommodation of the Judiciary. ``(2) Limitations.-- ``(A) Term.--A lease agreement under this section may not bind the Government for more than 20 years. ``(B) Obligation.--The obligation of amounts for a lease under this section is limited to the current fiscal year for which payments are due, without regard to section 1341(a)(1)(B) of title 31. ``(i) Transfer of Court Accommodations.-- ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall not transfer, dispose of, or close any court accommodation without obtaining the prior consent of the Director. ``(2) Transfer.-- ``(A) In general.--Upon request of the Director, and consistent with the implementation provisions under section 5 of the Judicial Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act of 2026, the Administrator shall transfer to the Director the jurisdiction, custody, and control of any requested real property owned or leased by the United States, and any lease of real property made on behalf of the United States, that is occupied by the judicial branch and critical to the constitutional mission of the Judiciary. ``(B) Terms.--With respect to any transfer under subparagraph (A)-- ``(i) the transfer shall be nonreimbursable; and ``(ii) after completion of the transfer, the Director shall be responsible for performing all building functions for the applicable real property and to pay the costs of performing such building functions instead of paying rent for that space to the Administrator. ``(j) Request for Space or Services to Be Provided by the Administrator.-- ``(1) In general.--The Director may request that the Administrator provide, acquire, or maintain such court accommodations as may be required by the Judiciary. Upon such a request of the Director, the Administrator shall provide and maintain such court accommodations. ``(2) Multitena