Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) unveiled legislation Thursday to ensure that those who commit heinous crimes in the nation’s capital can be charged as felons, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
“Under President Trump’s bold leadership, Washington D.C. is being rapidly restored from decades of being a crime-riddled hellhole,” Gill told Breitbart News in a written statement. “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.”
Gill proposed the D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, a bill that seeks to drastically reduce D.C.’s crime problem. In 2024, Washington, DC’s, homicide rate was roughly 27.3 per 100,000 people, which is the fourth highest in the nation.
The crime problem is especially concerning as juvenile crime has only continued to rise. Last year, roughly 200 juveniles who were arrested for violent crimes had prior arrests. After the 2021 murder of Uber Eats driver Mohammed Anwar, law enforcement said for at least one juvenile suspect, it was not her first crime in recent months.
Current law keeps juvenile offenders under 16 years old in Family Court, which limits consequences for repeat offenders.
Gill’s legislation would crack down on D.C.’s crime problem by:
- Lowering the transfer age for juveniles from 16 to 14 and allowing prosecution in adult felony court for the most serious of crimes
- Applying these changes to charges such as murder, first-degree sexual abuse, armed burglary, armed robbery, and assault with intent to commit these offenses
- Expanding the ability of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia to prosecute violent juvenile offenders
President Donald Trump has sought to bring down crime in the nation’s capital by deploying the National Guard and other law enforcement agencies into the city.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser in late August said that Trump’s surge of law enforcement in the city has drastically reduced crime and made “neighborhoods feel safer.”
Gill’s legislation would seek to build upon Trump’s success to ensure crime continues to go down.
A one-pager for the legislation states in summary, “Violent criminals should not be treated as children. This legislation ensures serious crimes face serious consequences, protecting families and restoring safety to our nation’s capital.”
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