By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com
Washingtonians could see unprecedented changes in laws that impact juvenile justice, the judicial system, funding for education, policing and how the homeless are treated, if Congress passes 13 bills now being considered on Capitol Hill.
The result could lead to Congress having even more authority over the lives of those who live in D.C.
Between Sept. 16 – 17, when the proposals are reviewed by the powerful House Oversight Committee, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, and the congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives who has represented D.C. since 1991, said she plans to voice her opposition to four anti-D.C. home rule bills.
“These anti-D.C. home rule bills were introduced by members of Congress from Florida, Texas, and Louisiana,” Norton said in a statement. “These members do not represent D.C., are not accountable to its residents, and do not understand how the District operates. They have no business writing our laws.”
The bills to which Norton referred and which the House will debate and then vote on include:
the D.C. CRIMES Act, which would amend D.C.’s Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act and change the age at which a court is allowed discretion to impose alternative sentences on a person, other than for certain offenses, and seal the individual’s records, from 24 to 18.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), is scheduled for debate and the vote on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Another bill, introduced by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), which would lower the age minors can be tried as adults in D.C. to 14 years old, was scheduled to be debated in the House on Tuesday Sept. 16.
On Sept. 17, debate will begin on both the D.C. Judicial Nominations Reform Act, which would eliminate the already limited role D.C. has in the selection of its local judges, and the D.C. Policing Protection Act, which would dramatically weaken D.C.’s limitations on vehicular pursuits by police officers.
The bills were introduced by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), respectively.
Norton said D.C. does not need the assistance of Congress to govern its own affairs.
“The more than 700,000 people who call D.C. home are fully capable of governing themselves, just as residents of Florida, Texas, and Louisiana do,” she said. “I will continue to defend that right – , Wednesday, and always.”
More bills on the floor could chip away at D.C.’s autonomy
Summaries of several other bills, published by the House Oversight Committee, that will be debated and voted on by the House include, but are not limited to, the following:
District of Columbia Attorney General Appointment Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Pat Fallow (R-TX), which would end the term of D.C.’s elected attorney general and make the position appointed by the president instead of being elected by voters.
Clean and Managed Public Spaces Act, introduced by Rep. William Timmons (R-SC), which would impose a fine that would apply to homeless people, not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both, as a penalty for “camping outdoors on public property.”
District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), that would eliminate cashless bail and require mandatory pretrial detention for people charged with violent crimes.
Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act, introduced by Rep. John McGuire (R-VA), which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to develop and implement a program to beautify D.C. through graffiti removal and the restoration of federal public monuments.
Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in D.C. (CLEAN DC) Act, introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), which would repeal D.C.’s 2022 police reform bill and designate when officers can view body camera footage while writing initial incident reports, or when police are involved in collective bargaining by the police union over disciplinary matters.
Another bill would repeal D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act and the Second Chance Amendment Act. People convicted of certain serious crimes committed before their 18th birthdays would be blocked from submitting a petition to the court for a sentence reduction after serving at least 15 years and would limit people from having certain conviction records, including for marijuana possession, expunged or sealed.
Should D.C. residents be concerned?
It was not so long ago when then President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress sided with Republicans to overturn D.C.’s crime bill, so both residents and leaders have reason to be concerned with the possibility that any or all these bills could become laws.
As for the likelihood, despite Republicans currently control the House, Senate, and White House, the Senate, where the GOP majority is very slim, could be the bottleneck for bills being approved.
Seven Democrats would need to join with Republicans to break a filibuster which is a more difficult threshold to achieve. Still, Washingtonians can no longer count on Democrats in Congress as they could in years past.
Like Norton, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said D.C residents have no need for the bills.
“All of them would be an affront to home rule. We believe that our laws affecting the District should be made by the District,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said during an on-air interview.
The debates and votes can be viewed by the public on C-SPAN or live.house.gov.
