[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 122 (Monday, July 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E679-E680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO REQUIRE THE DIRECTOR OF THE COURT SERVICES 
 AND OFFENDER SUPERVISION AGENCY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE 
DIRECTOR OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PRETRIAL SERVICES AGENCY TO RESIDE 
                      IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 17, 2023

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would require 
the Directors of 2 federal agencies, the Court Services and Offender 
Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA) and the 
District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), to reside in the 
District of Columbia during their terms. Residency requirements for 
certain government positions are found in federal law, D.C. law and the 
laws of jurisdictions throughout the United States. The primary reason 
such laws exist is so that government officials have a connection to 
the residents they serve and in-depth knowledge of the unique issues 
and challenges faced by residents. Last Congress, the House Committee 
on Oversight and Reform passed this bill.
  CSOSA and PSA are federal agencies that focus exclusively on D.C. 
CSOSA supervises individuals on probation, parole or supervised release 
under D.C. law. PSA makes recommendations regarding pretrial release 
and supervises defendants for the D.C. Superior Court and the U.S. 
District Court for D.C. The Directors of CSOSA and PSA should be 
required to be D.C. residents since these agencies serve only D.C.
  Congress has justifiably required that certain federal officials live 
in the jurisdictions to which they are appointed, including U.S. 
district court judges, U.S. Marshals and U.S. Attorneys. Similarly, 
Congress, which controls the local D.C. court system, has justifiably 
required local D.C. judges and members of the D.C. Judicial Nomination 
Commission and the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure 
to reside in D.C.
  There is no reason that the Directors of CSOSA and PSA, federal 
agencies that uniquely serve D.C., should not be required to live in 
D.C. These federal officials need to be part of the community they 
serve. A D.C. residency requirement for these federal officials will 
lead to better outcomes in the criminal justice system and is a matter 
of fairness for D.C. residents.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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