Norton Works With Senator Akaka To Introduce Vital D.C. Law Enforcement Bill Today

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she was grateful to her good friend, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI),chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, for introducing the D.C. Court and Public Defender Service Act, which she got through the House last year, but not the Senate. Norton said, "This bill is as non-controversial as it is indispensable to the law enforcement in the District of Columbia." The bill authorizes certain judges to delay ongoing proceedings in court, without penalty, in the event of an emergency, such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters, and reduces the required term of service for judges in the Family Court Division of the Superior Court from five years to three years, easing the efforts to recruit judges. It also permits the Public Defender Service for the District, which is funded by the federal government, to purchase professional liability insurance for its attorneys, staff and board members. Norton said that Akaka's willingness to introduce this bill in the Senate first should help to get the bill passed this time.

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