GovTrack’s Bill Summary
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S. 1379 (112th): D.C. Courts and Public Defender Service Act of 2011
- Introduced:
- Jul 18, 2011 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
- Sponsor:
- Sen. Daniel Akaka [D-HI]
- Status:
- Signed by the President
- Slip Law:
- This bill became Pub.L. 112-229.
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.
- Full Title
A bill to amend title 11, District of Columbia Official Code, to revise certain administrative authorities of the District of Columbia courts, and to authorize the District of Columbia Public Defender Service to provide professional liability insurance for officers and employees of the Service for claims relating to services furnished within the scope of employment with the Service.
- Summary
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No summaries available.
- Text
-
Last updated Jan 01, 2012.
5 pages
- Primary Source
-
View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
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- Citation
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Library of Congress Summary
The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
12/28/2012--Public Law. (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on July 9, 2012.
The summary of that version is repeated here.) D.C. Courts and Public Defender Service Act of 2011 - Amends the District of Columbia Official Code to require the chief judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to:
(1) call biennial or, as under current law, annual judicial conferences; and
(2) summon active magistrate judges to such conferences.
Authorizes the chief judges of the District Superior Court and of the District Court of Appeals to toll or delay judicial proceedings in certain natural disaster or other emergency situations.
Limits such toll or delay to 14 days, unless the chief judge determines, with the consent of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, that an emergency situation requires additional extensions.
Authorizes the Executive Officer of the District of Columbia courts to enter into agreements to provide the Mayor of the District with equipment, supplies, and services and credit reimbursements received from the Mayor for them to the appropriation of the District of Columbia courts against which they were charged.
Amends the District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970 to require the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, to the extent its Director considers appropriate, to provide representation for and hold harmless, or provide liability insurance for, any employee, member of the Board of Trustees, or officer of the Service for money damages arising out of any claim, proceeding, or case at law relating to the furnishing of representational, management, or related services while acting within the scope of that person's office or employment, including employment actions, injury, loss of liberty, property damage, loss of property, personal injury, or death arising from the officer's or employee's malpractice or negligence.
Reduces from five to three years the term an individual may be assigned to serve as a judge of the Family Court of the Superior Court.
House Republican Conference Summary
The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/2/s1379.
Background
According to Senate Report 178, this legislation would grant the District of Columbia (DC) Courts and Public Defender Service (PDS) greater administrative flexibility in several discrete areas. The bill authorizes the DC Superior Court and Court of Appeals to hold judicial conferences either annually or biennially, eliminating the current mandate that they always hold such conferences every year; requires magistrate judges to attend these judicial conferences; authorizes the DC Courts to toll or delay judicial deadlines in certain emergency situations such as natural disasters; and allows the DC Courts to be reimbursed by the DC Government for certain office expenses. It also gives the DC PDS authority to purchase liability insurance for its attorneys and changes the term for Family Court judges from five years to three years.
Summary
The bill would amend certain administrative authorities of the District of Columbia courts, and authorize the District of Columbia Public Defender Service to provide professional liability insurance its employees.
The bill would grant the District of Columbia (DC) Courts and Public Defender Service (PDS) administrative flexibility in several areas. The bill would authorize the DC Superior Court and Court of Appeals to hold judicial conferences either annually or biennially, eliminating the current mandate that they always hold such conferences every year; requires magistrate judges to attend these judicial conferences; authorizes the DC Courts to toll or delay judicial deadlines in certain emergency situations such as natural disasters; and allows the DC Courts to be reimbursed by the DC Government for certain office expenses. It would also give the DC PDS authority to purchase liability insurance for its attorneys and changes the term for Family Court judges from five years to three years.
Cost
S. 1379 would change the District of Columbia Official Code that governs the D.C. Courts system and the office of the public defender. Based on information provided by the court system, CBO estimates that the proposed changes would not have a significant effect on the federal budget. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
Under current law, the budget of the D.C. Courts system, including the Public Defender Service, is funded by federal appropriations, and its expenditures are recorded on the federal budget. Among other changes, the bill would authorize the D.C. Courts to accept reimbursement from the District of Columbia government for certain equipment, services, and supplies. Such reimbursements would be credited to the appropriation for the D.C. Courts system, and CBO estimates that any net effect on the federal budget would be negligible.
House Democratic Caucus Summary
The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
We’ll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.