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House passes bill to overturn law that 'restricts' law enforcement in DC

The vote ended with 230 votes in favor and 190 against. Twenty Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C./ Alex Wroblewski.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C./ Alex Wroblewski.AFP

Joaquín Núñez
Published by
Joaquín Núñez

The House of Representatives passed the Clean D.C. Act, a bill to repeal the Washington D.C. Comprehensive Police and Judicial Reform Act, passed in 2020 by the City Council and ratified in 2022. After Joe Biden vetoed a similar measure in 2023, congressional Republicans were back in the fray to end a rule that "imposed drastic restrictions on law enforcement" in the nation's capital.

The vote ended with 230 votes in favor and 190 against. Twenty Democrats joined Republicans in approving the bill. The House version was led by Congressman Andrew Clyde, of Georgia.

"I’m incredibly pleased that my common sense legislation to repeal this anti-police law passed with bipartisan support, and I look forward to a similar outcome in the Senate. By eliminating the D.C. Council’s misguided law, the CLEAN D.C. Act strengthens and codifies President Trump’s successful efforts to restore law and order in Washington," Clyde celebrated in a statement.

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Among the Democrats who voted in favor included Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Josh Gottheimer, Tom Suozzi, Don Davis and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

In the Senate, where the bill is still in committee, the legislation was sponsored by Ted Cruz (R-TX), joined by Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Budd (R-NC) and Katie Britt (R-AL).

The Comprehensive Police and Justice Reform Act was initially passed after the George Floyd protests with the goal of increasing the accountability of police forces. However, for the head of the Washington DC Police Union, Gregg Pemberton, the law ended up impairing the actions of authorities through action and budgetary limits.

In turn, both the DC Police Union and the Fraternal Order of Police (the largest police union in the country) supported the legislation.

What does the DC Comprehensive Police and Judicial Reform Act do?

According to the statement released by Senator Cruz's office, the current law "weakens" law enforcement in the following ways:

  • It prohibits long-standing and proven police tactics.
  • It strips officers of legal protections and due process rights.
  • Threatens the safety of police officers by authorizing public disclosure of records.
  • Imposes restrictions on policing during protests and the use of non-lethal methods of crowd control.

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