[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E73-E74]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CODE RETURNING CITIZENS 
                            COORDINATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 28, 2025

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia 
Code Returning Citizens Coordination Act, which would require the 
Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide information to the District 
of Columbia on individuals convicted of felonies under D.C. law in BOP 
custody. Currently, BOP provides no information to D.C. on these 
individuals, even immediately before release, which inhibits reentry, 
increases recidivism and harms public safety. In the 117th Congress, 
the Committee on Oversight and Reform passed this bill.
  Federal law requires BOP to incarcerate individuals convicted of 
felonies under D.C. law. As of December 29, 2023, there were 3,200 such 
individuals in BOP custody, and they are in BOP facilities throughout 
the United States. This unique custody arrangement creates several 
obstacles to successful reentry, including information sharing among 
agencies.
  BOP asserts that federal privacy laws prohibit it from providing any 
information to D.C. on these individuals, which prevents D.C. from 
having services ready for them when they return from prison. Yet, 
studies consistently show the importance of health care, housing, 
education, job training and substance use disorder treatment for 
successful reentry.
  This bill would require BOP to provide D.C. two types of information 
on individuals convicted of a D.C. Code felony in BOP custody.

[[Page E74]]

Every 90 days, BOP would provide the name, age, Federal Register 
Number, facility where housed and the scheduled release date. Upon 
D.C.'s request, BOP would provide D.C. the same information that BOP 
provides to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the 
District of Columbia (CSOSA) on these individuals, such as their 
release plan. CSOSA is a federal agency that provides community 
supervision for individuals convicted of D.C. crimes.
  D.C. would be allowed to provide the biographical information only to 
counsel for the individuals, and to organizations that provide legal 
representation to individuals in criminal or post-conviction matters, 
or in matters related to reentry. D.C. would not be allowed to provide 
any of the other information, and D.C. law enforcement agencies would 
not have access to any of the information.
  The overwhelming majority of people in prison return home. I hope all 
my colleagues agree on the importance of successful reentry.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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