The House of Representatives passed several bills affecting law enforcement, including two measures that specifically impact law enforcement in the District of Columbia (DC). Another bill targets elections in DC. The final one is the HALT Fentanyl Act, which reclassifies and regulates fentanyl.
First, House Resolution (HR) 884 was passed. This bill prohibits a non-U.S. citizen from voting in a DC election.
To make this change, the bill also repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment of 2022. The law allowed non-U.S. citizens to vote based on residency requirements.
Second, HR 2096 was passed to revise changes made to the discipline of DC Metro Police Officers. For example, the bill reinstates a 90-day statute of limitations for initiating a corrective action against any MPD officer.
The bill eliminates the police chief's authority to increase the police trial board's recommended penalty for officer misconduct. The bill also eliminates the requirement that the MPD publish a schedule of disciplinary hearings for which the proposed action is termination.
Third, HR 2056 was passed as the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act. This bill prohibits DC from limiting its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement activities, except for certain instances.
The bill bars DC from adopting a law that prohibits DC governmental entities from exchanging information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual with a federal, state, or local government entity.
HR 2056 ensures that ICE and DHS activities are not impeded by sanctuary laws.
Finally, the House passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, also known as Senate bill (S.) 331. This bill permanently places fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
Under S. 331, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues.
Additionally, the bill establishes a new, alternative registration process for Schedule I research. The final function of the bill is to agree with a district court case, United States v. McCray. In that case, it was concluded that butyryl fentanyl can be considered an analogue of fentanyl.
