H.R. 5242 · Where this bill is now
Waiting for a House vote
Approved by committee Oct 14, 2025; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryDC repeals criminal justice reform laws
This bill would undo two DC laws that made it easier for people to clear their criminal records and that reduced mandatory sentences for teenagers. Specifically, it would make it harder to seal or erase criminal records from public view, bring back mandatory minimum sentences and life imprisonment for people convicted of crimes committed before age 18, and remove a process for adults convicted as juveniles to ask for reduced sentences. The bill would also eliminate DC's speed cameras and remove the rule against right turns at red lights.
How it affects you
People in DC seeking to clear their criminal records would face stricter rules and fewer options. Teenagers convicted of crimes would face mandatory minimum and life sentences without parole, with no legal path to later seek sentence reductions. DC drivers would no longer face automated speed camera enforcement. Most of these changes affect DC residents specifically, since DC has its own local laws separate from federal law.
Read the official summary (Reported to House, Oct 14, 2025)
This bill repeals District of Columbia (DC) laws related to sealing and expunging criminal records, sentencing of individuals under age 18, and traffic enforcement measures.
First, the bill repeals expanded eligibility in DC for sealing or expunging records of certain citations, charges, arrests, and criminal convictions. (An expunged record is erased; a sealed record may remain accessible to law enforcement but not the public.) The bill also repeals related enforcement provisions, including civil penalties against background check companies for reporting on sealed or expunged offenses.
Next, the bill reinstates mandatory minimum sentences and life imprisonment (without the possibility of parole or release) for individuals under age 18 at the time an offense was committed. The bill also eliminates requirements for the Metropolitan Police Department to provide records to the DC Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and for the Department of Corrections to provide the CJCC with access to individuals under age 21 for a report on youth crime. Further, the bill repeals a legal process by which a defendant who was convicted as an adult and who was under the age of 18 at the time the offense was committed may seek a reduced sentence.
Additionally, the bill eliminates DC's automated traffic enforcement systems for the detection of moving violations (e.g., speed cameras), including vehicle owners' liability to pay fines for such violations. The bill also repeals a DC law prohibiting right turns at red traffic signals on DC streets.
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. 5242
A BILL
To repeal the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 and the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016.
Sponsor: Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-8) · Introduced Sep 10, 2025 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Oct 14, 2025: “Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 293.”