District of Columbia Courts Improvement Act of 2020
Latest action · Aug 4, 2020 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedAug 4, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
District of Columbia Courts Improvement Act of 2020
This bill revises provisions related to jurors, magistrates, and other judicial officers, and otherwise makes changes to provisions related to the District of Columbia courts.
The bill expands authority for magistrate judges of the District's courts to perform certain judicial functions, including to issue arrest and search warrants, and punish an individual for contempt.
The bill (1) provides that grand and petit jurors serving in the Superior Court of the District must receive fees and expenses equivalent to those provided to jurors serving in the U.S. district courts, (2) allows service of prospective jurors to be made by electronic communication, and (3) permits individuals 70 years of age or older to opt-out of jury service.
The Joint Committee on Judicial Administration in the District and the District's Public Defender Service may each establish a voluntary separation incentive payments program for its employees substantially similar to that for certain federal employees and members of the uniformed services, except that the maximum payment amount to any individual may not exceed $25,000.
The bill removes provisions for fixed hourly rates for legal representation of indigent defendants and criminal investigative and expert services for such defendants.
The bill revises appointment and removal authority for the Executive Officer of the District's courts to include the Register of Wills.
The District's courts may give retroactive pay increases to employees on board at the time an increase is ordered, and to those that have retired (not resigned) or died between the date the increase becomes effective and the date it is ordered.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Aug 4, 2020 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 4, 2020Introduced in House
- Aug 4, 2020Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E723-724)
- Aug 4, 2020Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E723 | Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC | Aug 4, 2020 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 138, August 4, 2020, page H4219.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4683 | District of Columbia Juror Pay Parity Act | Related bill | Oct 15, 2019 |
| HR 5925 | District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments Act | Related bill | Feb 18, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 11, District of Columbia Official Code, to expand the authorities of magistrate judges of the District of Columbia courts, to modernize the rules and procedures for the service of jurors in District of Columbia courts, to authorize the establishment of a program of voluntary separation incentive payments for nonjudicial employees of the District of Columbia courts and employees of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- District of Columbia Courts Improvement Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Disability and paralysis
- District of Columbia
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Judges
- Judicial procedure and administration
- Law
- Lawyers and legal services
- Legal fees and court costs
- State and local courts
- Wages and earnings
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 4, 2020Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
