Biden Says He'd Sign Measure Overriding Changes in DC Laws

House Republicans argue council's overhaul would increase crime
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 2, 2023 5:25 PM CST
Biden Says He'd Sign Measure Overriding Changes in DC Laws
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference about the arrest of a suspect in a recent string of attacks on homeless people last March.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

President Biden said Thursday he would sign a Republican-sponsored resolution blocking new District of Columbia laws that overhaul how the nation's capital prosecutes and punishes crime. City officials have spent nearly two decades trying to redo Washington's criminal laws, including redefining crimes, changing criminal justice policies, and reworking how sentences should be handed down after convictions, the AP reports. The overhaul passed the DC Council late last year. But the Republican-controlled House has decided to wade into city matters, arguing the district's changes will contribute to already-rising crime in Washington—the number of homicides in 2021 was the highest in nearly 20 years—and make it easier for some criminals to get out of prison or evade punishment all together.

The resolution passed the House with some Democratic support and appears on track to clear the Senate on a bipartisan basis as well, perhaps as early as next week. Biden said in a tweet that he supported statehood for DC. "But I don't support some of the changes DC Council put forward over the mayor's objections—such as lowering penalties for carjackings," he said. "If the Senate votes to overturn what DC Council did—I'll sign it." Washington's criminal code hasn’t been updated substantially since it was first drafted in 1901. Criminal justice experts have said it is outdated, confusing, and not in touch with how crimes are punished today.

(More President Biden stories.)

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