Venue Named Under Exception Act

This bill changes which court handles certain crimes that happen on federal property in the Washington, DC area (the National Capital Region, including parts of Maryland and Virginia). Instead of automatically handling these cases in DC, it says the case should go to the federal court where the accused person last lived. If there are several people charged together, the case can go to the court where any one of them last lived. If officials don’t know the person’s last home address, the case can be brought in DC.

What this means in everyday terms: people accused of these crimes could face charges in a court closer to where they live, rather than having to go to DC, unless their last address isn’t known.

Key points

• Who is affected: People charged with crimes on federal property in the DC region; federal prosecutors and courts in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
• What changes: Cases should be filed in the federal district of the accused’s last known residence; for joint cases, any one defendant’s last residence can be used; if no last residence is known, file in DC.