Norton Thanks Senator Johnson for Introducing Bill to Strengthen Local Justice Process in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, for introducing a 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). Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE) joined Chairman Johnson as an original cosponsor of the bill. The committee has jurisdiction over these agencies, which are funded by the federal government because they are usually state functions. CSOSA is a Title 5 Branch Executive Agency, while the courts and PDS are fully federally funded but maintain independence from the Executive Branch. Norton said the bill would give the three agencies authority routinely held by most federal agencies. Norton introduced the same version of the bill last year and got it passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote.

"I am grateful to Senator Johnson for working with me and introducing this critical bill to improve and modernize the District of Columbia's justice system," Norton said. "I look forward to working with him to get the bill passed in the Senate and House and sent to President Obama's desk."

Among other technical changes, the bill would allow the courts to collect debts owed by its employees to the courts; 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 authorize CSOSA to use incentives-based programs for offenders, instead of just sanction-based programs.