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For Immediate Release
February 6, 2023
Contact: Chantal Fuller, Communications Director
202-355-8431
cfuller@dccouncil.gov
Councilmember Henderson Releases Statement on Today's Congressional Vote
Washington, DC- Today, Councilmember Christina Henderson released the following statement regarding the Congressional votes on resolutions to overturn B24-416: Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (RCCA) and B24-300: Local Resident Voting Right Act of 2021:
"It is not lost on me that as we near the 50th anniversary of Home Rule, the District of Columbia is yet again having to defend itself against members of Congress who merely work and live here part time. Every legislature in this country has instances of policy disagreements within their bodies and with their Executive branch colleagues. If a veto is overturned, everyone either moves on, fights for additional changes legislatively, or takes it to court. We are the only place in the country where politicians elected in other states get to weigh in on our local affairs. It’s undemocratic and it is unjust.
I call on President Biden and Democrats in Congress to stand with residents of the District of Columbia. Do not allow uninformed myths to overturn a decade worth of work to revise a Criminal Code that is over 120 years old and not reflective of the most current research and best practices on public safety. This bill contains some of the very reforms that have been called for to reverse the explosion of mass incarceration in this country, such as eliminating certain mandatory minimums.
We all believe that one act of violence against any of our neighbors is one too many. There is work to do in the District to improve public safety just as there is in other cities, but we cannot make meaningful progress to craft a system that works for our residents if individuals who do not live in our communities and neighborhoods get to dictate the terms for their political gain."
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