WASHINGTON – This morning, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) reintroduced legislation to make our nation's capital safe again for all Americans.
The "D.C. Criminal Reform to Immediately Make Everyone Safer (D.C. CRIMES) Act" is the 19th piece of legislation proposed by Congressman Donalds during the 119th Congress and asserts Congressional control over the District of Columbia by prohibiting the D.C. Council from pursuing progressive, soft-on-crime sentencing policy.
Specifically, this bill addresses juvenile crime by lowering D.C.’s definition of a “youth” from 24 years old to under 18, resulting in individuals 18 and older properly treated and tried as adults. The bill also removes judicial discretion that allows youth offenders to be sentenced below the mandatory minimum for a crime and prohibits the D.C. Council from enacting any additional changes to D.C.’s mandatory minimum sentences and sentencing guidelines. Congressman Donalds released the following statement:
"For far too long, our nation’s capital has been plagued by an epidemic of violence due to the soft-on-crime policies of far-left, local leaders. Weak leadership by anti-cop radicals gives rise to chaos and the reign of terror unleashed on innocent residents and visitors of our nation’s capital must end now. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia, and it's imperative that we act quickly to assert our control when local government fails to do its job. The American people deserve better, and I will not stand idly by while our capital city devolves into chaos. My DC CRIMES Act will restore law and order to the District.”
SUMMARY:
This bill asserts Congressional control over the District by prohibiting the D.C. Council from pursuing progressive soft-on-crime sentencing policy.
This bill addresses juvenile crime by lowering D.C.’s definition of a “youth” from 24 years old to under 18, resulting in individuals 18 and older properly treated and tried as adults.
Removes judicial discretion that allows youth offenders to be sentenced below the mandatory minimum for a crime.
Requires the D.C. Attorney General to establish a public website containing statistics on juvenile crime, which will help Congress craft future juvenile crime reform policies.
Prohibits the D.C. Council from enacting any additional changes to D.C.’s mandatory minimum sentences and sentencing guidelines, strengthening Congressional authority over the District’s criminal sentencing system.
"Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local “youths” and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these “minors” as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs. Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
"I just met with the President. We talked about crime in the nation's capital. We talked about fighting crime and the President is very serious about making sure that as the prosecutor here, that we not only fight crime with a vengeance, but make sure there are consequences, make sure that we protect the victims, and we make the criminals accountable, and that's the mission of the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. Not just in district court, but in all the courts, the Superior Courts, our job is to get guns off the street, drugs off the street, take care of those individuals who are threatening, carjacking other people, and make this city safe and clean again, and that's just what we're going to do. And if you don't buy into it, you're going to have to deal with us."
Congressman
Byron Donalds
Proudly Representing Southwest Florida District 19