Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023–4:40 p.m.
-WRGA News/Rome News-Tribune-
The office of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a statement regarding the closing of the congressional office in the federal building downtown.
The office closed without much fanfare at the end of 2022.
The statement from Greene’s office read:
“Since COVID, the number of walk-ins into Congressional district offices have dropped to virtually zero. Almost the entire constituent services caseload–thousands of them each year–are handled via phone and email. In order to better serve the district and be a good steward of taxpayer funds, the decision was made to consolidate offices and put all constituent service representatives under one roof. This allows for coordination, efficiency, and effectiveness that will lead to continued excellent service for Northwest Georgians in the years to come.”
The office provided constituent services for the 14th Congressional District. Congressional offices provide a number of services including congressional commendation applications, help with federal agencies, and service academy nominations.
The federal courthouse on West First Street has undergone several changes over the past two decades. In 2007 the U.S. post office moved from the second floor to a standalone location on Coligni Way off Martha Berry Boulevard.
Since then, the building that used to house court proceedings from two U.S. District judges and a U.S. Magistrate judge on the third floor has been reconfigured.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Walter Johnson’s offices and courtroom were moved to the second floor several years ago and the Internal Revenue Service’s offices were expanded in the remake of the building.
More recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation office moved from the Rome office to a location in Cartersville. That office in Cartersville is one of 14 resident agencies across the state. Georgia’s main FBI office is located in Atlanta.
Greene filed a bill in January to have the building named after the late U.S. District Court Judge Harold L. Murphy. Murphy’s courtroom was in that building for over four decades.
