Introduction of A Bill to Provide for Interim Appropriations for the District of Columbia Courts and Related Agencies with Respect to Any Fiscal Year for Which Appropriations Are Not Otherwise Provided for Such Courts and Agencies

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would exempt from federal government shutdowns the federal and independent civil and criminal justice system law enforcement agencies that are exclusively or primarily federally funded but have exclusive jurisdiction over District of Columbia matters. This bill is modeled on a provision I have been able to get enacted each year since the 2013 shutdown to exempt the D.C. government from shutdowns.

This bill would exempt the following agencies from federal government shutdowns: Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, D.C. Courts, D.C. Public Defender Service, D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission, and D.C. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. These agencies are not under the District's control and are funded exclusively by the federal government, with one exception, the D.C. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which is an independent agency within the D.C. government with federal members primarily, but not exclusively, funded by the federal government. However, these agencies provide critical local services to the District, including law enforcement, and should continue to function during a shutdown.

Each of these agencies was adversely affected by the recent 35-day shutdown, including canceled services and furloughed employees. My bill would allow these agencies to continue to function during a shutdown, in much the same way that the D.C. government itself is now exempt from shutting down during a federal shutdown. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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