James Comer

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 additional minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Another day on the House floor where the Republicans try to address the D.C. crime crisis with serious, substantive solutions and another day where the Democrats try to act like there is no crime problem in Washington, D.C., and reverberate the symptoms of their Trump derangement syndrome. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Sessions legislation which corrects an inappropriate limitation on Presidential authority to appoint judges in the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 707, I call up the bill (H.R. 5143) to establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 5143, the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025. This bill repeals subtitle S of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 and replaces it with policies empowering police to pursue a suspect fleeing in a vehicle. The 2022 act imposes burdensome restrictions on police pursuit of criminal suspects. This has resulted in less justice for victims of crime in Washington, D.C., and more opportunities for criminals, who would otherwise be apprehended, to continue harming D.C. and surrounding communities. This bill replaces subtitle S with policies that allow for vehicular pursuit of a suspect fleeing in a motor vehicle if the officer or supervisor deems it necessary, the most effective means of apprehension, and without unreasonable risk to bystanders. I thank Representative Clay Higgins for his leadership on this critical local policing reform legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support his bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from Representative Min that clarifies that he meant to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5143 in committee. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, September 15, 2025. Chairman James Comer, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Comer: I am writing to respectfully clarify my intent regarding a vote I cast during the House Oversight and Government Reform full committee markup held on September 10, 2025. Because of miscommunication during the evening vote series, my recorded vote on H.R. 5143, the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act, does not reflect my intended position. For the record, I meant to vote ``Aye'' on the final passage H.R. 5143, which repeals restrictions on the circumstances under which law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia may engage in vehicular pursuits. I ask that this letter be included in the committee's official record to reflect my intent. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, Dave Min, Member of Congress.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation to allow police officers in the District of Columbia to pursue and apprehend criminals to keep residents and visitors in the District safe. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 707, I call up the bill (H.R. 4922) to limit youth offender status in the District of Columbia to individuals 18 years of age or younger, to direct the Attorney General of the District of Columbia to establish and operate a publicly accessible website containing updated statistics on juvenile crime in the District of Columbia, to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to prohibit the Council of the District of Columbia from enacting changes to existing criminal liability sentences, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 4922, a bill providing commonsense reforms to the District of Columbia criminal code. It is clear to Members of the committee and the public that D.C.'s soft-on-crime policies have failed to keep D.C. residents and visitors safe. The DC CRIMES Act overturns targeted portions of the D.C. Council's Youth Rehabilitation Act by amending the definition of a ``youth offender'' from a person under the age of 25 to under the age of 18. Let me emphasize Washington, D.C.'s current law. Currently, D.C. code allows a criminal under the age of 25 to be given the same leniency that is afforded to minors. This bill requires that we treat adult criminals as adults, like the rest of the country. It also removes judicial discretion to sentence youth offenders under the minimum sentencing structures in place. Our Capital cannot continue to let criminals freely roam the streets and expect this crime crisis to end. As juvenile crime soars in the District, the bill also requires the D.C. Attorney General to create a publicly available website that better tracks juvenile crime data. This data will inform Congress, the District's elected officials, the Metropolitan Police Department, the public, and others of the severity of juvenile crimes in the city. Citizens of D.C. and visitors to our Nation's Capital deserve to feel safe. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds) for leading this effort again in this Congress, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), sponsor of the bill.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation to ensure that citizens of Washington, D.C., and the many visitors to our Nation's Capital feel safe. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 707, I call up the bill (H.R. 5140) to lower the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses in the District of Columbia to 14 years of age, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 5140 to lower the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses in the District of Columbia to 14 years of age. The District of Columbia has seen a staggering increase in juvenile crime since the pandemic. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, 51.8 percent of all robbery arrests in 2024 were juveniles, and 53 percent of all carjacking arrests in 2025, as of August, were juveniles. Congress must respond to these violent crimes being committed by juvenile perpetrators. Currently, minors 16 years old and older are eligible to have their case moved up to criminal court and to be tried as an adult in D.C. This bill lowers that age to 14 years old, making 14- and 15-year-olds who commit violent crimes eligible to be charged as adults. Violent crime refers to murder, first-degree sexual abuse, burglary in the first degree, and robbery while armed, for example. When juveniles commit crimes of this magnitude, they deserve sentencing that reflects the seriousness of the crimes they committed. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Brandon Gill for leading this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.