Title: The District of Columbia Returning Citizens Coordination Act of 2019
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
The District of Columbia Returning Citizens Coordination Act of 2019
This bill provides that any agency of the District of Columbia shall be treated as a federal agency for purposes of certain privacy laws with respect to communications between the agency and the District's Bureau of Prisons or Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency regarding providing public benefits or services to any person resuming or commencing residence in the District (including upon a person's release from any term of imprisonment).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5290 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5290

To provide that, for purposes of certain Federal privacy laws, agencies 
 of the District of Columbia are treated as Federal agencies, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 3, 2019

  Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that, for purposes of certain Federal privacy laws, agencies 
 of the District of Columbia are treated as Federal agencies, 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 Returning 
Citizens Coordination Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AGENCIES TO BE TREATED AS FEDERAL AGENCIES 
              FOR PURPOSES OF CERTAIN PRIVACY LAWS.

    For purposes of a provision of law set forth in section 3, to the 
extent that such provision of law applies to any communication for 
purposes of providing public benefits or services to any person 
resuming or commencing residence in the District of Columbia (including 
any person resuming or commencing residence in the District of Columbia 
upon release from any term of imprisonment) between--
            (1) the Director of the Bureau of Prisons and any agency of 
        the District of Columbia; or
            (2) the Director of the Court Services and Offender 
        Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia and any agency 
        of the District of Columbia,
the agency of the District of Columbia shall be treated as a Federal 
agency for purposes of such provision of law.

SEC. 3. PROVISIONS OF LAW DESCRIBED.

    The provisions of law set forth in this section are as follows:
            (1) Title II of the Health Insurance Portability and 
        Accountability Act of 1996 (including parts 160 and 165 of 
        title 45, Code of Federal Regulations).
            (2) Section 543 of the Public Health Service Act (including 
        part 2 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations).
            (3) Section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
        referred to as the ``Privacy Act'').
            (4) Any other provision of law setting forth substantially 
        similar protections for the privacy of information.

SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act may be construed to expand the authority of the 
Director of the Bureau of Prisons or the Director of the Court Services 
and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia to 
disclose information to any law enforcement officer.

SEC. 5. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL.

    For purposes of this Act, the Council of the District of Columbia 
shall be considered an agency of the District of Columbia.

SEC. 6. APPLICATION OF PRIVACY ACT.

    A communication under this Act shall be deemed to be a lawful 
disclosure under section 552a(b)(7) of title 5, United States Code.
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