Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the overhaul of D.C.’s criminal code, and now there’s a move in the council to override her veto.
Bowser vetoed the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 earlier in January, after the D.C. Council unanimously passed the bill last November.
The revisions were shaped by the D.C. Criminal Code Reform Commission, and it underwent numerous public hearings. But Bowser and D.C. police Chief Robert Contee opposed parts of the measure.
Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto said in a statement that letting the veto stand would “unravel years of careful and thoughtful work over disagreements with a small percentage of the bill.”
Pinto and Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen are moving to override Bowser’s veto.
Today, @CMCharlesAllen and I are moving to override the Mayor’s veto of the Revised Criminal Code Act.
The veto threatens to unravel years of work and thorough study that has culminated in a criminal code that is more just, equitable, & clear — making us all safer. pic.twitter.com/jIRB94Dm18
— Councilmember Brooke Pinto (@CMBrookePinto) January 10, 2023
Pinto said that she too has concerns over the law, and she suggested “tailored approaches” to amend the legislation before it goes into effect in 2025 that “do not threaten unraveling 99% of the bill that has unanimous support.”
“The Revised Criminal Code Act represents years of work by the Council, the Executive, the Attorney General, public safety and criminal justice experts and advocates, and other District stakeholders to modernize our criminal code,” Pinto said.
One of Bowser’s concerns that led to her veto involves reduced penalties.
“Anytime there is a policy that reduces penalties, I think it sends the wrong message,” Bowser said earlier this month.
Under the revised legislation, nonviolent offenders would see shorter sentences for crimes, such as gun possession; and the code would, however, allow prosecutors to seek harsher sentences for more serious violent crimes.
But critics have said it would undoubtedly mean more misdemeanor offenses would go to trial, straining the city’s judicial system.
WTOP’s Megan Cloherty contributed to this report.
