DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in staunch opposition to H.R. 4922, the D.C. CRIMES Act. This is not a serious legislative effort to enhance public safety; it is a blatant political maneuver to override the local authority of Washington, D.C., and restrict judges' ability to make individualized sentencing decisions for young adults. It is a bill that uses the nearly 700,000 residents of D.C., who pay more federal taxes per capita than any state, as political pawns.

This bill is a direct assault on the District's local sovereignty. It would fundamentally alter D.C.'s criminal justice system by reducing the eligibility age for the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) from 24 to 18. It seeks to eliminate judicial discretion to impose sentences below mandatory minimums, and would restrict vital alternatives like probation, community service, and the ability to seal the records of young adult offenders. This proposal is particularly egregious because it undermines a program that works. The YRA, which provides a path for rehabilitation, has been shown to reduce recidivism, thereby supporting public safety. Individuals who have convictions set aside under the YRA are significantly less likely to reoffend. Instead of celebrating this success, H.R. 4922 would dismantle it.

Let us be clear about the hypocrisy of this measure. House Republicans from 34 states, including Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Alabama, and North Carolina, voted to reduce the eligible age to 18 here in D.C., even though the age in their own home states is 20 or higher. Supporters of this bill are targeting a program in D.C. that is similar to laws that exist in their own states. In perhaps the most glaring example of this double standard, representatives from Utah voted to lower the age here while their own state sets the age at 25, a full year older than D.C.'s current law. In those states, such programs are deemed effective, but here, in the Nation's capital, they are being singled out for elimination. This double standard exposes this bill for what it is: an act of political punishment, not a genuine reform.

Real solutions to crime do not come from a ``Super City Council'' in Congress. They come from empowering local communities and trusting judges to make thoughtful, individualized decisions. I urge my colleagues to stand with the residents of D.C. and against this discriminatory and hypocritical bill. Vote No on H.R. 4922.

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