The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved two measures aimed at altering Washington, D.C.'s criminal sentencing and juvenile charging rules, sending the bills to the Senate after winning bipartisan support in the lower chamber.
The DC CRIMES Act passed 240-179, with 31 Democrats joining most Republicans; Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was an exception. H.R. 5140 passed 225-203, with eight Democrats supporting the measure and one Republican, Massie, voting against it. Both bills would change how older teenagers and young adults are treated under D.C. law.
The DC CRIMES Act, sponsored by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), would lower the maximum age at which a defendant can be considered a “youth offender” from 24 to 18 and would repeal local provisions that allow judges to impose reduced or modified sentences — such as probation — in lieu of mandatory minimum terms for certain crimes. Under current District law, people as old as 24 can be eligible for those modified sentences.
H.R. 5140, introduced by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), would lower the age at which teenagers can be charged as adults from 16 to 14. Presently, defendants under 18 are generally tried in family court; 16-year-olds can be transferred to adult court for certain serious crimes under D.C. law, and the threshold for moving 15-year-olds is even higher.
Sponsors framed the bills as responses to violent incidents involving juveniles and young adults. Donalds wrote on X that "if you’re 18-24 years old and you commit a crime in our nation’s capital, you should be sentenced as an adult," calling the change "common sense." Gill cited the 2021 killing of Uber Eats driver Mohammed Anwar, in which two teens were convicted of murder and sentenced to juvenile detention until age 21, saying the bill would ensure "violent juveniles face the full weight of the law." Both representatives characterized their measures as a step toward reducing violence in the District.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro praised the House votes as a "critical first step" and tied them to federal efforts to address violent crime in the district. Pirro, who has advocated for broader federal authority over juvenile cases, said the bills’ passage reflects bipartisan recognition of the need to change the city's trajectory on violence. She has repeatedly urged Congress to roll back D.C. provisions that allow lenient sentencing by local judges.
The legislation must pass the Senate and be signed by the president to take effect. The votes come after a high-profile federal intervention in the city's policing: the Trump administration deployed thousands of National Guard troops as part of a crime crackdown, and an emergency order federalizing the D.C. police department expired last week.
Critics of federal intervention and those defending D.C.'s local authority have argued that changes to juvenile and sentencing rules encroach on local governance and the District's ability to set criminal justice policy. Supporters counter that the changes are necessary to address repeat violent offending and to hold older adolescents and young adults accountable in a district that has seen high-profile violent incidents.
Lawmakers and prosecutors framed the measures as part of a broader set of proposals the House may take up to toughen D.C. crime statutes. As Congress weighs the bills in the Senate, advocates on both sides are expected to press their positions in hearings and public statements. The outcome will determine whether the changes reach the president’s desk and become law.