District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Bill: H.R.7568 | Sponsor: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes (D-DC)
Policy area: Law

Summary:
District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Employment Non-Discrimination Act
This bill provides for coverage of certain employees of the District of Columbia under the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977. The act prohibits discrimination in the District on the basis of certain protected characteristics (e.g., race) in a variety of settings, including employment.
The bill specifies that nonjudicial employees of the District of Columbia courts and employees of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service shall be considered to be employees, and the courts and public defender service shall be considered to be employers, under the act.
The bill also excludes complaints of discrimination that are filed against the courts or public defender service from the District's procedures for handling complaints of governmental discrimination.

To provide for coverage of employees of the District of Columbia courts 
and the District of Columbia Public Defender Service under the District 
         of Columbia Human Rights Act, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia Courts and 
Public Defender Service Employment Non-Discrimination Act''.

SEC. 2. COVERAGE OF EMPLOYEES UNDER DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HUMAN RIGHTS 
              ACT.

    (a) Coverage.--
            (1) Employees of district of columbia courts.--Section 11-
        1726, District of Columbia Code, is amended by adding at the 
        end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) For purposes of the Human Rights Act of 1977 (sec. 2-1401.01 
et seq., D.C. Official Code), a nonjudicial employee of the District of 
Columbia courts shall be considered to be an employee under such Act 
and the District of Columbia courts shall be considered to be an 
employer under such Act.''.
            (2) Employees of district of columbia public defender 
        service.--Section 305 of the District of Columbia Court Reform 
        and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970 (sec. 2-1605, D.C. Official 
        Code) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(e) For purposes of the Human Rights Act of 1977 (sec. 2-1401.01 
et seq., D.C. Official Code), an employee of the Service shall be 
considered to be an employee under such Act and the Service shall be 
considered to be an employer under such Act.''.
    (b) Exclusion From Separate Procedures Established for Complaints 
Against Agencies of District Government.--Section 303 of the Human 
Rights Act of 1977 (sec. 2-1403.03, D.C. Official Code) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) This section does not apply with respect to complaints filed 
against--
            ``(1) the District of Columbia courts or officials and 
        employees of the District of Columbia courts; or
            ``(2) the District of Columbia Public Defender Service or 
        officials and employees of the District of Columbia Public 
        Defender Service.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply 
with respect to complaints filed on or after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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