{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-harrisburg-courthouse-moves-to-1-on-priority-list", "Barletta: Harrisburg Courthouse Moves to #1 on Priority List", "2016-11-16", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Lou Barletta", "B001269", "barletta.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today confirmed that the long-awaited federal courthouse in Harrisburg has been installed formally as the top priority for the judiciary.\u00a0 The judiciary\u2019s Committee on Space and Facilities has ranked the project as the number one item on the construction list \u2013 a decision which has been approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States, the governing body of the judiciary chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.\u00a0 The ascension of Harrisburg to the top slot is further indication that the courthouse project will become a reality.\u00a0\nBarletta has pushed for the project as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.\u00a0 He has worked closely with Judge D. Brooks Smith, Chief Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, who had been Chairman of the Committee on Space and Facilities until October 1, 2016.\u00a0 Barletta has also been in close contact with Judge Christopher Conner, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Congress formally appropriates the money for courthouse construction and renovation, but traditionally defers to the judiciary to set the priority order.\n\u201cEach bit of good news brings us closer to the day when we can cut the ribbon and open the new courthouse,\u201d Barletta said.\u00a0 \u201cThe new courthouse will be an important new facility for Harrisburg, as it will serve as a hub of activity and drive new economic development for the area.\u00a0 I am proud to have been working on this project for a number of years, and I commend Judge Smith, Judge Conner, all of the members of the judiciary, and everyone in Harrisburg who has worked so hard to make the courthouse possible.\u201d\n\u201cThe rigorous analysis that the judiciary applies to ranking courthouse projects that most merit Congressional funding has resulted in Harrisburg as the top priority for Fiscal Year 2018,\u201d said Judge Smith.\u00a0 \u201cAs the former chair of the Judicial Conference's Space and Facilities Committee, I am grateful for the generous support Congress has demonstrated for our courthouse needs; and as the Chief Judge of the Third Circuit, I am pleased that the Harrisburg community can look forward to having a modern and secure courthouse to serve its needs.\u201d\n\u201cWe are thrilled,\u201d said Judge Conner. \u201cWe thank Congressman Barletta for his unwavering support of this important project, and we look forward to the construction of a courthouse that will represent the very best of our federal courthouse facilities.\u201d\nIn September 2016, Barletta had announced that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had authorized a total of $194,444,000 for the Harrisburg Courthouse.\u00a0 The final step will be the actual appropriation of the funds, a process which will not begin until at least the new year.\u00a0 The amount includes $29.5 million appropriated in Fiscal Year 2016 for partial funding of feasibility studies and preparation work in addition to earlier funding in 2004 of $26 million.\nThe Harrisburg project includes the design and construction of a courthouse of approximately 243,000 square feet and an estimated 43 parking spaces.\u00a0 The building will contain as many as eight courtrooms, including three for District Judges, two for Senior District Judges, two for Magistrate Judges, and one for Bankruptcy Judges.\u00a0 There had been initial discussions of constructing only an annex to the existing courthouse, but that idea has been shelved in favor of an entirely new courthouse.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-harrisburg-courthouse-moves-to-1-on-priority-list"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.425206195563078, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}