Local Access to Courts Act (LACA)
LACA
Signed into law Sep 16, 2026 · Law
What this law does
- Adds College Station to the places where federal court must be held in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas.
- Adds El Centro to the places where federal court must be held in the Southern District of California.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedJan 8, 2025 · Senate
- 35 daysPassed SenateFeb 12, 2025
- 565 daysPassed HouseAug 31, 2026
- 14 daysPresented to the PresidentSep 14, 2026
- 2 daysSigned into lawSep 16, 2026
Official summary
Local Access to Courts Act or LACA
This act adds College Station to the list of places where court must be held in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas.
Additionally, the act adds El Centro to the list of places where court must be held in the Southern District of California.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Sep 16, 2026).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats. 1 signed on the day it was introduced.
Show all cosponsors
| Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] | Jan 8, 2025 | Original cosponsor |
Recorded votes
| Date | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | House | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 378 - 10 (Roll no. 285). | 378 | 10 |
What was added
Amendments adopted (0)
No floor amendments were adopted. Any changes were made in committee or in a later version of the bill.
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in Senate) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in Senate).
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in Senate) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in Senate) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in Senate text (Jan 8, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 23 official actions
| Sep 16, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-109. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-109. |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 378 - 10 (Roll no. 285). (text: CR H5272) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 378 - 10 (Roll no. 285). (text: CR H5272) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5347-5348) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 32. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5272-5273) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Mr. Schmidt moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Held at the desk. |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Received in the House. |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S932; text: CR S932) |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Introduced in Senate |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.