H.R. 3612: Making emergency appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, to address needs of the Federal judiciary serving the border region between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3612: Making emergency appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, to address needs of the Federal judiciary serving the border region between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.

114th Congress · introduced 2015-09-25 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-09-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Making emergency appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, to address needs of the Federal judiciary serving the border region between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

This bill provides $135 million in FY2016 emergency appropriations for the construction of a new courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The bill designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from limits on discretionary spending and other budget enforcement rules. The construction of the courthouse must include a real property exchange between the city of San Antonio, Texas, and the General Services Administration (GSA) involving: (1) federally owned land including the Wood Courthouse and Spears Judicial Training Center, and (2) city-owned land commonly known as the San Antonio Police Headquarters Site. Within six months of enactment of this bill, the GSA must provide a progress report to Congress.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Making emergency appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, to address needs of the Federal judiciary serving the border region between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] reported raising $3.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr3612.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr3612 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114