WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced legislation to prohibit Washington D.C.'s Council from pursuing progressive, soft-on-crime policy.
The "D.C. Criminal Reform to Immediately Make Everyone Safer (D.C. CRIMES) Act" is the 72nd piece of legislation proposed by Congressman Donalds during the 118th Congress and seeks to utilize Congressional control in order to reduce skyrocketing crime in our nation's capital. Original cosponsors of the "D.C. CRIMES Act" include Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ,) Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) and Rep. William Timmons (R-SC.) Congressman Donalds released the following statement:
"Our nation's capital is experiencing a historic crime wave as a result progressive, soft-on-crime policy. This man-made public safety crisis is unacceptable. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia and it is imperative that we act quickly to assert our control when local government fails to do its job. The American people deserve a safe capital city and I will not stand idly-by as it descends into chaos."
SUMMARY:
- Asserts Congressional control over the District by prohibiting the D.C. Council from pursuing progressive soft-on-crime sentencing policy
- Addresses juvenile crime by lowering D.C.'s definition of a "youth" from under 25 years old to under 18, resulting in individuals 18 and older properly treated and tried as adults.
- Removes judicial discretion that allows youth offenders to be sentenced below the mandatory minimum for a crime.
- Requires the D.C. Attorney General to establish a public website containing statistics on juvenile crime, which will help Congress craft future juvenile D.C crime reform policies
- Prohibits the D.C. Council from enacting any additional changes to D.C.'s mandatory minimum sentences and justice guidelines, strengthening Congressional authority over the District's criminal sentencing system.
BACKGROUND:
- Crime in D.C. has increased 30% in one year from 2022 to 2023.
- In 2023, homicides were up 29% from 2022, and homicides doubled since 2012.
- Violent crime has increased by 37% from 2022 to 2023––with robberies rising 65%.
- Motor vehicle thefts have increased by 107% in 2023 compared to 2022.
- The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has lost over 1,200 members since 2020, and staffing levels remain the lowest they have been in the last 50 years.
TIMELINE:
- The D.C. Council passed the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (RCCA) (D.C. Act 24-789), which eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first degree murder, eliminated life sentences, and reduced maximum penalties for violent crimes.
- Congress responded by blocking this reckless D.C. Act from taking effect by advancing the bipartisan H.J.Res. 26 into law (P.L. 118-1).
- The D.C. Council then passed another bill—the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-781)—which targeted DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and their ability to combat rising crime.
- Congress attempted to block this Act with H.J.Res. 42, but President Biden vetoed the bipartisan disapproval resolution, ensuring D.C.'s anti-police reforms went into effect.
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