Norton Thanks Senator Johnson After His Bill to Strengthen Local Justice Process in D.C. Passes Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, after the committee today approved his bill to modernize and improve the daily operations of the District of Columbia Courts, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA). The D.C. Revitalization Act of 1997 relieved the District of the costs and operations of some state functions, including D.C.'s court system. The committee has jurisdiction over these agencies, which are funded by the federal government. Norton introduced the same version of the bill last year and the House passed it by voice vote.

"I am grateful to Chairman Ron Johnson for working in a bipartisan fashion with Ranking Member Tom Carper and his other Senate colleagues to pass this critical bill to improve the District of Columbia's justice system," Norton said. "I will keep working with him to get the bill passed by the full Senate and in the House."

Among other technical changes, the bill would authorize CSOSA to use incentives-based programs for offenders, instead of just sanction-based programs; allow PDS to accept and use public grants, voluntary and uncompensated services, such as unpaid law clerks and interns and private contributions made to advance PDS's work; and allow the courts to collect debts owed by its employees to the courts.