I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 281 

To assign the responsibility for conducting prosecutions for violations of 

the laws of the District of Columbia to the head of a local prosecutor’s 

office designated under local law of the District of Columbia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 12, 2021 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Reform 

A BILL 

To assign the responsibility for conducting prosecutions for 

violations of the laws of the District of Columbia to 

the head of a local prosecutor’s office designated under 

local law of the District of Columbia. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia 

5 Prosecutor Home Rule Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. RESPONSIBILITY OF LOCAL PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE 

2 FOR CONDUCT OF ALL DISTRICT OF COLUM3 BIA PROSECUTIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 23–101, D.C. Official 

5 Code, is amended by striking subsections (a) through (f) 

6 and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(a) Prosecutions for violations of all police or munic8 ipal ordinances or regulations of the District of Columbia 

9 and for violations of all penal statutes of the District of 

10 Columbia in the nature of police or municipal regulations 

11 shall be conducted in the name of the District of Columbia 

12 by the head of the local prosecutor’s office or the assist13 ants of the head of such office, except as may otherwise 

14 be provided in any such ordinance, regulation, or statute. 

15 ‘‘(b) An indictment or information brought in the 

16 name of the United States in the United States District 

17 Court for the District of Columbia may include charges 

18 of offenses prosecutable by the District of Columbia if the 

19 head of the local prosecutor’s office consents to the inclu20 sion of such charges in writing. 

21 ‘‘(c) An indictment or information brought in the 

22 name of the District of Columbia in the Superior Court 

23 of the District of Columbia may be joined for trial in the 

24 United States District Court for the District of Columbia 

25 with an indictment or information brought in that court 

26 if the offenses charged therein could have been joined in 


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1 the same indictment or information and if the head of the 

2 local prosecutor’s office consents to such joinder. 

3 ‘‘(d) In this section, the ‘local prosecutor’s office’ is 

4 the office designated under local law of the District of Co5 lumbia as the office responsible for conducting prosecu6 tions under this section. 

7 ‘‘(e) Nothing in this section shall affect the authority 

8 of the Attorney General of the United States or the United 

9 States Attorney for the District of Columbia to exercise 

10 jurisdiction concerning violations of the laws of the United 

11 States.’’. 

12 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

13 (1) APPEALS.—Section 23–104, D.C. Official 

14 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel’’ 

15 each place it appears in subsections (a)(1), (b), and 

16 (d), and inserting ‘‘head of the local prosecutor’s of17 fice (as defined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

18 (2) PROCEEDINGS TO ESTABLISH PREVIOUS

19 CONVICTIONS.—Section 23–111(a)(1), D.C. Official 

20 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘head of the local prosecutor’s office 

22 (as defined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

23 (3) DEFINITION OF PROSECUTOR.—Section 23– 

24 501(3), D.C. Official Code, is amended by striking 

25 ‘‘Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia’’ 


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1 and inserting ‘‘head of the local prosecutor’s office 

2 (as defined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

3 (4) DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY SEIZED UNDER

4 SEARCH WARRANT.—Section 23–525, D.C. Official 

5 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel 

6 for the District of Columbia’’ and inserting ‘‘head of 

7 the local prosecutor’s office (as defined in section 

8 23–101(d))’’. 

9 (5) DEPOSIT OF SEIZED CURRENCY.—Section 

10 23–532(b)(1), D.C. Official Code, is amended by 

11 striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel for the District of Co12 lumbia’’ and inserting ‘‘head of the local prosecu13 tor’s office (as defined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

14 (6) CONSULTATION IN PROMULGATION OF REG15 ULATIONS REGARDING WARRANT AND ARREST PRO16 CEDURES.—Section 23–533, D.C. Official Code, is 

17 amended by striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel’’ and in18 serting ‘‘head of the local prosecutor’s office (as de19 fined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

20 (7) RECOMMENDATIONS BY PRETRIAL SERV21 ICES AGENCY REGARDING RELEASE OR DETENTION; 

22 NOTICE REGARDING FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH CON23 DITIONS OF RELEASE.—Section 23–1303, D.C. Offi24 cial Code, is amended— 


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1 (A) in the sixth sentence of subsection (a), 

2 by striking ‘‘Corporation Counsel of the District 

3 of Columbia’’ and inserting ‘‘head of the local 

4 prosecutor’s office (as defined in section 23– 

5 101(d))’’; and 

6 (B) in subsection (h)(5), by striking ‘‘Cor7 poration Counsel of the District of Columbia’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘head of the local prosecutor’s of9 fice (as defined in section 23–101(d))’’. 

10 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

11 this section shall apply with respect to violations of Dis12 trict of Columbia ordinances, regulations, and statutes 

13 which occur after the expiration of the 6-month period 

14 which begins on the date on which a local law of the Dis15 trict of Columbia which designates the local prosecutor’s 

16 office for purposes of section 23–101(d), D.C. Official 

17 Code (as amended by subsection (a)) takes effect. 

Æ 


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