Legislation targeting D.C. juvenile crime clears House

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(The Center Square) – The U.S House of Representatives passed the D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act on Tuesday afternoon, one more step to solidify President Donald Trump’s plan to secure the District of Columbia.

The legislation targets the district’s problems with juvenile violence, lowering the “age of eligibility for juveniles to be transferred from juvenile court to felony court for certain violent crimes.” The bill lowers the age from 16 to 14.

As the law currently stands, minors under 16 fall under the jurisdiction of the D.C. Family Court. The new legislation would allow minors as young as 14 to be placed under the adult criminal court jurisdiction, expanding the umbrella for cases that can be tried by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, passed the Republican House majority 225 to 203.

In support of the legislation, Gill noted the district’s high homicide rate, which the president underscored when he declared a crime emergency on Aug. 11, triggering the deployment of the National Guard and increased patrols by federal law enforcement officials.

Gill indicated that since 2020, crimes have been steadily increasing that are committed by people under the age of 18, especially carjackings and, in some cases, murder. The congressman noted that last year, nearly 200 juveniles who were arrested for violent crimes had prior violent arrests.

Gill and many fellow Republicans, including U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, have argued lenient sentences for minors lead to more crime in the district.

In response to the bill's passage, the congressman echoed the president and Republicans’ commitment to restoring law and order, especially in the district.

“I am thankful to my colleagues for voting yes on my effort to ensure that thugs who break the law and commit heinous crimes are able to be prosecuted at the fullest extent of the law,” said Gill. “President Trump’s mandate and today’s vote further prove that Republicans are the party of law and order. We are saving Washington, DC, from the sins of the Democrats who have driven it to the ground!”

The passage of the legislation comes ahead of a House Oversight Committee hearing set for Thursday, when D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will be grilled on the district’s “soft-on-crime policies.” In addition to the mayor, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, will also appear before the committee.

Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in Congress this term targeting crime and beautification of the district.