{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-24-1302-perm","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 24-1302(Perm)","heading":"Establishment of the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs.","body":"\n      *NOTE: This codification is not the most current, due to recent law changes. To see the current law (including emergency and temporary legislation, if relevant) click this link: Current Version*\n      \n\n(a)\nThere is established, as a subordinate Executive agency within the Public Safety and Justice cluster, the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs. The Office shall coordinate and monitor service delivery to returning citizens. The Office shall make recommendations to the Mayor to promote the general welfare, empowerment, and reintegration of returning citizens in the areas of employment and workforce development, health care, education, housing, and social services.\n\n(b)\n(1)\nThe Office shall be headed by an Executive Director, who shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council pursuant to § 1-523.01(a). The Director shall be a full-time employee, for whom annual compensation shall be fixed in accordance with subchapter X-A of Chapter 6 of Title 1.\n(2)\nThe Director shall:\n(A)\nServe as principal advisor to the Mayor on matters related to the reintegration of returning citizens into the general population;\n(B)\nServe as an advocate for returning citizens;\n(C)\nRespond to recommendations and policy statements from the Commission;\n(D)\nIdentify areas for service improvement and policy development and implementation for presentation to the Mayor and the Commission by funding research, hosting symposia, and undertaking other projects;\n(E)\nCoordinate efforts of District government agencies targeted toward returning citizens;\n(F)\nAccept volunteer services and funding from public and private sources to supplement the budget in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Office;\n(G)\nApply for, receive, and expend any gift or grant to further the purposes of the Office;\n(H)\nFile an annual report on the operations of the Office with the Mayor and the Council;\n(I)\nMeet and coordinate with members of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, as set forth in § 22-4233(a), and their designates, to disseminate information and recommendations to and from the voting members of the Commission[;]\n(J)\nEstablish a pilot program for Fiscal Year 2019 to provide transportation subsidies to returning citizens, pursuant to criteria to be developed by the Office, in the amount of $60,000[; and]\n[(K)]\nBy January 1, 2020, develop a plan to register qualified electors, as that term is defined in § 1-1001.02(2), who are in the custody of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, or are returning citizens, to vote and provide them with information about the voting rights of individuals currently incarcerated or with a criminal record in the District.\n(L)\nEstablish and implement a pilot program to support the employment of 10 returning citizens through grants to employers for 2 years beginning in Fiscal Year 2021; provided, that:\n(i)\nTo qualify for the pilot program, an eligible employer shall:\n(I)\nRegister with the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs to accept applications for employment from eligible individuals;\n(II)\nDemonstrate that potential employees in the pilot program have opportunities for advancement within the eligible employer's organization or industry;\n(III)\nHire one or more eligible individuals who meet the requirements of sub-subparagraph (ii) of this subparagraph;\n(IV)\nBe located within the District;\n(V)\nPay each employed eligible individual at least the minimum wage required pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 10 of Title 32;\n(VI)\nEmploy each eligible individual for a minimum of 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks;\n(VII)\nSubmit an application; and\n(VIII)\nProvide documentation as required by the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs to substantiate the satisfaction of each requirement of the pilot program for the participating eligible employer and for each eligible individual employed.\n(ii)\nFor an eligible employer to receive a grant for the employment of an eligible individual, the eligible individual must:\n(I)\nHave been previously incarcerated;\n(II)\nBe a resident of the District;\n(III)\nHave completed a workforce development and life skills program within the District; and\n(IV)\nHave been unemployed for a period of at least one month prior to being hired by the participating eligible employer.\n(iii)\nGrants offered through the pilot program shall be disbursed:\n(I)\nInitially, after an eligible employer has provided documentation substantiating that the eligible employer employed an eligible individual for a minimum of 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks;\n(II)\nSubsequent to the initial disbursement, at the end of each month that the eligible individual is employed pursuant to the requirements of the pilot program;\n(iv)\nThe maximum amount of the grant disbursements offered through the pilot program to each participating eligible employer shall be:\n(I)\nFor the first year that an eligible individual is employed by a participating eligible employer, 40% of the minimum wage for a period not to exceed 40 hours per week and 2,080 hours per year for each eligible individual hired under the pilot program; and\n(II)\nFor the second year that an eligible individual is employed by the same participating eligible employer, 80% of the minimum wage for a period not to exceed 40 hours per week and 2,080 hours per year for each eligible individual hired under the pilot program.\n(v)\n(I)\nThe total amount of funding expended through the pilot program shall not exceed the amount budgeted for the pilot program.\n(II)\nEligible employers shall receive funding in the order that they successfully provide the documentation required pursuant to sub-subparagraph (i)(VII) of this subparagraph for the employment of an eligible individual.\n(III)\nFor each eligible individual for whom documentation successfully has been submitted, an amount of funds shall be set aside such that the eligible employer may be reimbursed for the employment of an eligible individual for a period no shorter than the remainder of the fiscal year during which the documentation was submitted, and the remainder of the assistance shall be subject to the availability of funding.\n(M)\nConduct a Paralegal Fellowship Initiative pilot program that places a cohort of returning citizen students in an accredited, university-based paralegal certification program located in the District of Columbia, while providing the students with support services necessary for their success.\n(N)\nBy December 1, 2021, coordinate with youth-serving government agencies, non-government entities, and individuals to conduct and submit to the Council a comprehensive needs assessment for children in the District who have experienced the incarceration of a parent. The assessment shall:\n(i)\nExamine the impact on children resulting from parental incarceration;\n(ii)\nIdentify the social, emotional, economic, educational, housing, health, mental health, and other needs of children impacted by parental incarceration;\n(iii)\nEstimate the number of children who are currently, or have been, impacted by parental incarceration in total and by ward; and\n(iv)\nSpecify the gaps between existing services available in the community and the identified needs of children impacted by parental incarceration.\n(O)\nBy March 1, 2022, coordinate with youth-serving government agencies, non-government entities, and individuals to submit a strategic plan to the Council that outlines how the District can specifically meet the social, emotional, economic, educational, housing, health, mental health, and other needs of children whose parents are incarcerated. The strategic plan shall include:\n(i)\nThe timeline and resources necessary to meet the identified needs; and\n(ii)\nRecommendations for any policy or legislative reforms necessary to meet the needs of children impacted by parental incarceration.\n(3)\nThe Office shall have staff as funded by appropriations and federal or private grants.\n(4)\nThe Director may communicate and coordinate with and seek information from the federal Bureau of Prisons (\"BOP\"), including by:\n(A)\nDeveloping and maintaining a database containing the name, location of incarceration, and contact information for each District resident incarcerated by the BOP who is expected to be released within the next 6 months; and\n(B)\nContacting each District resident incarcerated by the BOP who is expected to be released within the next 6 months to provide:\n(i)\nInformation detailing available housing and employment resources, including any necessary application forms;\n(ii)\nThe Office's contact information; and\n(iii)\nThe necessary information to apply for birth certificates and non-driver identification cards.","path":["Title 99. Reserved sections."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/24-1302(Perm)","current_through":"2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-29T05:44:07Z","sha256":"83013feddace6ec0a886c8bd7441aa8e201c7d76e9b5f0c05554e8ca9a4c3927","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-2-358.05-perm","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-3-733-perm"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}