NASHVILLE – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, announced Monday that a bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes $189.1 million to construct a new federal courthouse to replace the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Chattanooga.
Alexander, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement the bill “at my request” provides funding “to build a badly needed new courthouse in the largest and busiest judicial district in Tennessee.”
Noting the existing courthouse was built 87 years ago, Alexander said “construction of a new courthouse is the only solution to address the significant operation, space, and security deficiencies that exist at the current federal courthouse in Chattanooga.”
Alexander also said the Judicial Conference of the United States has “designated Chattanooga as a courthouse construction priority, and I am glad that the need for this new facility has been recognized by the committee.”
Funding depends on the legislation ultimately winning approval in both the Senate and the House. Last year, Alexander made a similar announcement about the effort gaining ground in the Senate but it ultimately did not pass.