[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E102-E103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 OPPOSITION TO H.J. RES. 26 DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF 
  COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2023

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to 
H.J. Res. 26 a resolution disapproving the action of the District of 
Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022.
  This resolution is not only a brazen and misguided measure seeking to 
uphold decades of racially systemic policies of criminal injustice, it 
is an insulting attempt to trample on the rights and the will of the 
people in the District of Columbia.
  By subjecting thousands of Black residents of Washington D.C. to 
criminalization and incarceration, the Revised Criminal Code Act of 
2022 was the first comprehensive revision of the D.C. code since the 
year 1901, something that should've been revised long before.
  However, in contrast to the majority of other states, D.C. did not 
update its criminal statues throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
  As a result of the antiquated legislation, which had been in place 
for decades, the human rights and freedoms of Washingtonians has been 
compromised, resulting in D.C. having one of the highest imprisonment 
rates in the nation, whereby Black males account for more than 95 
percent of those who are behind bars.
  The 2022 revision was a necessary push forward, and for the 
Republicans within this congress to attempt to undo these revisions, 
shows the true opinion and intentions of the party.
  The revisions helped to correct many of the faults that the District 
of Columbia continuously ran into with the district itself making the 
necessary corrections with the support of the public.
  The D.C. Criminal Code Reform Commission was formed by the D.C. 
Council to revise the statutes to guarantee that the revisions of 
offenses and punishments are precise, consistent, reasonable, and 
constitutional.

[[Page E103]]

  The District of Columbia Public Defender Service, the District of 
Columbia Attorney General, legal professionals, and the general public 
were among the sources of input that the Commission consulted.
  Members of Congress should not use their own policy judgment to 
replace that of the elected officials within D.C.
  Prior to these revisions simple assault carried a sentence of less 
than six months in prison, while the threat of simple assault carried a 
20-year sentence.
  Possession of self-defense spray and possession of a fully automatic 
machine gun carried the same maximum penalty of one year.
  Some offenses can be traced back to the District's Black Codes and 
Slave Codes and others that were introduced by segregationists from 
states outside D.C.
  The almost 700,000 individuals who live in Washington, D.C., are 
capable of self-government and through the Revised Criminal Code Act of 
2022, proved themselves as such.
  Congress is not judge, jury, and executioner and should not overstep 
its place within Washington, D.C.

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