# What This Bill Does

Congress is trying to block a police reform law that Washington D.C.'s local government passed. This is a straightforward power struggle between the federal government and D.C.'s elected leaders over who gets to make decisions about policing in the nation's capital.

In 2022, D.C.'s City Council approved the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act, which made changes to how police operate in the district. Now, members of Congress are using a special procedure called a "joint resolution of disapproval" to try to overturn that local law. This is one of the few ways Congress can directly override decisions made by D.C.'s government, since D.C. doesn't have full voting representation in Congress and operates under special federal oversight rules that other cities don't have.

If this resolution passes, D.C.'s police reform law would be cancelled, and the old rules would stay in place instead. This affects D.C. residents and police practices in the district, but it also raises a bigger question about local control—whether D.C. residents should be able to make their own decisions about local issues like policing, or whether Congress should have the final say. The specific details of what the reform law actually changed aren't included in this resolution text, but the core issue is that Congress is essentially saying "we don't approve of what D.C. decided, so we're undoing it."

A joint resolution disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.

Vance, J. D.

 <p>This joint resolution nullifies the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The act sets forth a variety of measures that focus on policing, including measures prohibiting the use of certain neck restraints by law enforcement officers, requiring additional procedures related to body-worn cameras, and expanding access to police disciplinary records.</p>