16 Bills introduced on September 12 in the House of Representatives threaten to roll back DC’s already limited self-government. This legislation will make our city less safe and less democratic.
The two bills calling for treating teenagers who break the law to be treated as adults will not reduce crime. One lowers the age at which a youth can be considered an adult to 14. This law could have a profound negative impact on 14- and 15-year-olds. Adults convicted of felonies in the city are sent to one of 115 adult federal prisons outside of DC that could be as far as 500 miles away. According to studies by the Centers for Disease Control and the US Justice Department, youth tried in juvenile courts are less likely to reoffend than youth tried in adult courts.
The DC Youth Rehabilitation Act, making it possible for judges to issue lighter sentences to young adults up to age 24, has had a positive impact, according to a study by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. That study found that people whose sentences were reduced under the law were significantly less likely to reoffend. Yet a bill introduced by Representative Byron Donalds of Florida proposes to dilute the impact of the law by limiting participation to those 18 and under.
The three bills impacting traffic safety are likely to lead to an increase in traffic accidents and deaths in DC. One of them rolls back restrictions on police car pursuits. According to the US Justice Department, vehicular pursuits are the most dangerous of all ordinary police activities.
The other “traffic safety” bills would prohibit traffic cameras and repeal DC’s ban on right turn on red. Traffic cameras in DC have led to a sharp decline in speeding. According to the Washington Post, speeding citations on some streets with cameras decreased by more than 95 percent. Now, residents concerned about reckless driving are demanding more traffic cameras. While DC’s ban on right turn on red has not been fully implemented, pedestrians and cyclists at many busy intersections no longer have to dodge turning cars.
An alarming retrenchment of home rule is the purpose of bills that would eliminate our election for attorney general and the DC Judicial Nomination Commission.
Legislation introduced by Representative Pat Fallon of Texas calls for replacing DC’s elected Attorney General with a presidential appointee. DC residents want to elect our chief legal officer. The office was created as a result of local advocacy which included an amendment to the Home Rule Charter that created our DC government. The chief legal officer in Collin County, Texas, where Representative Fallon lives, is an elected district attorney.
Another anti-home rule bill calls for the termination of the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission, which gives Washingtonians a say about who presides in their courts. Judges in DC Courts are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. When there is a vacancy on a DC court, the DC Judicial Nomination Commission, made up of DC residents, sends the names of three qualified nominees to the President, who makes the final selection. The legislation to eliminate the DC Judicial Nomination Commission was introduced by Representative Pete Sessions from Waco, Texas. Judges for Waco, Texas courts are elected by the residents of Waco.
The 16 DC bills introduced in the House on September 12 are oppressive and malicious. They should all be defeated.