H.R. 4922 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Sep 16, 2025. Received Sep 17, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryDC limits changes to criminal sentences
This bill would restrict Washington, D.C.'s government from changing its criminal sentencing laws going forward. It would also change rules for youth offenders in D.C. courts—making 18 the maximum age to be considered a youth offender instead of 24, and removing judges' ability to sentence youth offenders below mandatory minimum sentences (except for violent crimes, where some discretion already didn't apply). The bill also requires D.C.'s Attorney General to publish and update crime data about youth offenders on a public website every month.
How it affects you
This primarily affects people in Washington, D.C. who are involved with the criminal justice system—especially younger offenders and their families. If you live in D.C., judges would have less flexibility in sentencing younger people, and the law could only be changed by Congress, not by D.C.'s local government. The monthly crime data publication could affect how the public understands youth crime in the district.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Aug 8, 2025)
DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act or the DC CRIMES Act
This bill limits the authority of the District of Columbia (DC) government over its criminal sentencing laws.
The bill eliminates the DC government’s authority to enact any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence in effect on the date of the bill's enactment.
The bill also (1) reduces the maximum age of a youth offender from 24 years to 18 years, and (2) repeals a provision that allows a DC criminal court to issue a sentence to a youth offender that is less than the mandatory minimum term otherwise required by law. A DC criminal court currently has the discretion to reduce or modify certain criminal sentences for a youth offender under specified circumstances. For example, a DC court may sentence a youth offender to probation in lieu of confinement. (However, this discretion does not apply to several specified violent crimes.)
Additionally, the bill directs the Office of the Attorney General for DC to publish, and update monthly, certain youth offender crime data on a publicly accessible website.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 4922
AN ACT
D. C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) · Introduced Aug 8, 2025 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 17, 2025: “Received in the Senate.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsHouse · On Passage · Sep 16, 2025
Passage Passed 240–179
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 31 | 178 | 4 |
| Republicans | 209 | 1 | 9 |
32 members voted against most of their party: 31 Democrats voted Yes and 1 Republicans voted No.
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.