Of the roughly dozen D.C. related bills that were advanced last week in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, four bills are expected to be voted on this week that would bring huge changes to D.C.’s criminal justice system. The bills have been whisked through the legislative process in record time.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb will testify on D.C.’s crime policies Thursday. So far, local leadership’s efforts against the attacks on D.C.’s autonomy have been touch-and-go. What can we expect this time around?
The Bills Being Voted On Related To Criminal Justice:
- D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act: Lowers the age for juveniles to be tried as adults for certain violent crimes from 16 to 14 years old.
- D.C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safer Act: Would cap the age offenders are eligible for more lenient sentencing at 18 as opposed to 24. It also bars D.C. from “enacting any changes to the existing minimum sentencing laws.”
- D.C. Policing Protection Act: Allows police chases if an officer or supervisor says it’s necessary and won’t endanger bystanders. And requires regular D.C. police tactics reports to be submitted to Congress.
- D.C. Judicial Nominations Reform Act: Repeals D.C.’s Judicial Nomination Commission, which provides judicial candidates to the president, and hands D.C. court nomination decisions directly to the president.
D.C. Attorney General and Mayor Muriel Bowser speak to the press, outside the US District Courthouse on August 15, 2025. (Washington Post/ Getty Images)
What Can DC Leadership Do?
Despite D.C.’s elected leadership being universally opposed to congressional intervention, they will have little say in stopping Congress from legislating right over their wishes.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. They don't have a shred of analysis. And I found myself last week while I was watching [the hearing], I was yelling at my TV screen, like, ‘no, there's a counterpoint to this!’” D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson told us.
On Thursday, Mayor Bowser, AG Schwalb, and D.C. Council Chairman Mendelson are being brought before the House Oversight Committee to testify to D.C.’s “soft-on-crime” policies and juvenile crime. They will be the first to be able to testify about the issues since the bills began moving.
This will also be another test for Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (88), who has been primarily absent from the political debate surrounding D.C. for the last few months. After she came under fire last week for her overall silence in the House Oversight Committee bill markup, we asked Councilmember Henderson if we should be worried. “The simple answer is yes,” said Henderson. “There were a number of times where I felt like this would've been an excellent point to be able to push back on some things.”
What’s the Likelihood of Them Passing?
The bills need a simple majority to pass, not improbable in a GOP-controlled House. But, if they do, the bills will face more road blocks in the Senate due to the filibuster, requiring Democratic support.
Other DC Bills Under Consideration
The four bills above are only part of a broader GOP legislative package targeting D.C. The following bills have also been proposed and will come to a vote in the coming weeks and months.
- D.C. Attorney General Appointment Reform Act: Replaces D.C.’s elected attorney general with a presidential appointee.
- Clean and Managed Public Spaces Act: Imposes an up to $500 fine or imprisonment as a penalty for “camping outdoors on public property,” meaning it will apply to D.C.’s unhoused population.
- D.C. Cash Bail Reform Act: Would end cashless bail and require pretrial detention for those charged with violent crimes.
- Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Act: Requires the development of a new program to remove graffiti and restore federal monuments.
- Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in D.C. Act: Repeals D.C.’s 2022 police reform bill and loosens restrictions on MPD officers, including allowing their union to collectively bargain over disciplinary matters.
- Strong Sentences for Safer D.C. Streets Act: Changes the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines in D.C. law to “commensurate to other nationwide standards.”
- Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Improvements Act: Changes how $60 million in annual funds are allocated for low-income children to receive scholarships to attend private schools.
- The D.C. Home Rule Improvement Act: Creates a 60-day Congressional review period for all D.C. legislation (currently, it’s 30 days for civil legislation) and prohibits D.C. Council from withdrawing legislation from Congressional review.
- Unnamed Bill: Would repeal D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act and Second Chance Amendment Act. This would stop juveniles convicted of certain crimes from petitioning the court for a sentence reduction after serving 15 years.
