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PR 26-0763

Prearrest Diversion Task Force Recommendations Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

26th Council Period (2025-2026) Introduced by Brooke Pinto

The bill extends the Prearrest Diversion Task Force’s deadline to July 2026 and expands probate notice publication to newspapers to improve accessibility and timeliness.

Retained by the Council
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · PR 26-0763

Summary of PR 26-0763 — Prearrest Diversion Task Force Recommendations Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Purpose and intent

  • Declares an emergency to amend, on an emergency basis, certain statutory timelines and probate publication rules.
  • Specifically aims to:
    • Move the deadline by which the Prearrest Diversion Task Force must issue initial recommendations for prearrest diversion of certain misdemeanor offenses and categories of persons to July 2026.
    • Update probate publication requirements to modernize notice publication and improve access to probate information.

Key provisions and changes

1) Emergency declaration and scope
- Allows an emergency amendment to section 1507 of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the District of Columbia Establishment Act of 2001 (the Secure DC framework).
- The emergency change concerns the timing for the Task Force to issue initial recommendations related to prearrest diversion.

2) Task Force timing adjustment
- The Prearrest Diversion Task Force was originally required to begin within 3 months of Secure DC’s applicability date and to issue initial recommendations within 1 year after that date.
- Due to CJCC staffing constraints, the Task Force could not begin until June 2025.
- The bill changes the deadline for issuing initial recommendations to July 2026.

3) Probate publication reforms (related context)
- References the Strengthening Probate Administration Amendment Act of 2024 and subsequent emergency legislation (July 14, 2025) addressing delays in probate processes.
- Current law requires certain notices in a “legal periodical,” which has limited access and hindered timely administration of estates.
- The proposed emergency amendments authorize publishing probate notices not only in legal periodicals but also in newspapers, expanding permissible publication channels to improve accessibility and implementability.

4) Emergency status and effective date
- Declares the circumstances an emergency requiring adoption after a single reading.
- The resolution takes effect immediately.

Who/what is affected

  • Delegated bodies:
    • Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and the Prearrest Diversion Task Force: timeline and process for developing recommendations on prearrest diversion.
  • Probate administration:
    • Probate notice publication processes in the District of Columbia (to broaden publication venues for notices to interested parties, creditors, and unknown heirs).
  • General public:
    • Residents and estate stakeholders who rely on timely notices about probate matters.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The resolution is introduced by Councilmember Brooke Pinto and co-sponsored by herself.
  • It seeks emergency adoption, allowing the changes to take effect immediately rather than through a standard bill-enactment process.
  • Background context notes staffing and implementation issues with Secure DC and probate-related publications, informing the emergency rationale.

Practical impact

  • Provides a longer runway (July 2026) for the Task Force to develop its initial recommendations on prearrest diversion, potentially affecting policy development for misdemeanor offenses and diversion pathways.
  • Improves accessibility and timeliness of probate notices by permitting newspaper publications beyond traditional legal periodicals, which could reduce delays in notifying interested parties and administering estates.

If you’d like, I can map the specific sections of the existing statutes referenced (Secure DC, Official Code § 22-4237, and probate publication provisions) to show exactly where these changes would apply.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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