Rep. Gill Bill Cracks Down on DC Crime, Headed to House Floor

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brandon Gill's (TX-26) DC Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act yesterday passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government markup and is eligible for consideration on the House floor.

"Under President Trump's bold leadership, Washington D.C. is being rapidly restored from decades of being a crime-riddled hellhole," said Rep. Gill. "My new legislation ensures people who commit heinous crimes of assault, robbery, and sexual abuse can be charged as a felon in court. This is a long-needed reform to DC's governance. In President Trump's America, our capital city will be safe and secure for Americans to enjoy."

Rep. Gill introduced the DC Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, which lowers the age of eligibility for juveniles to be transferred from juvenile court to felony court for certain violent crimes down from age 16 to 14.

Under current law, minors under 16 are generally under the jurisdiction of the D.C. Family Court for juvenile matters. The legislation would lower the threshold to 14, meaning that minors 14 and older can be placed under adult criminal court jurisdiction. The violent crimes covered are murder, first-degree sexual abuse, burglary in the first degree, robbery while armed, or assault with intent to commit any such offense. Moreover, the legislation would result in an increase in the number of cases that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia can try.

"We can't develop strong communities in America if our streets aren't safe - and we can't enter a Golden Age if our national capitol is full of crime. The Bull Moose Project supports the DC Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act and commends Rep. Gill for taking on this crucial issue," said Aiden Buzzetti, President of the Bull Moose Project.

Cosponsors (2): Reps. Burchett, Higgins

Supporting Groups: Bull Moose Project

Background:

• In 2024, Washington, D.C.'s homicide rate was 27.3 per 1,000,000 residents. This was the fourth highest in the country. In 2022, the D.C. council passed a pro-crime, anti-police bill called the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act, proving they don't take the problem of crime seriously and Congress must act.

• In D.C., there have been steady increases since 2020 in crimes committed by people under the age of 18. To make matters worse, many of these criminals have already been arrested for violent crimes. In 2024, nearly 200 juveniles arrested for violent crimes had prior violent crime arrests. Violent criminals should not be treated like children and given lenient sentences only to commit more crimes and endanger our constituents.

• In 2021, Uber Eats Driver Mohammed Anwar was killed in Washington, D.C., during an altercation after two teenage girls attempted to carjack him. One of the criminals was 15 years old, charged with felony murder, received the maximum possible sentence under D.C. law, and will be out on the street when she turns 21 years old. If enacted before the murder, the legislation would have made it much easier for the criminal to be tried as an adult for felony murder, possibly resulting in a life sentence instead of a slap on the wrist.

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