House votes to repeal update to DC's criminal code
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives voted Thursday to repeal the update to D.C.’s controversial criminal code.
FOX News reporter Chad Pergram tweeted that the House voted 260-161 to repeal the measure.
The House vote comes several weeks after the D.C. Council approved the controversial massive overhaul of the criminal code in a 12-1 vote, overriding Mayor Muriel Bowser's veto.
The update was the first comprehensive revision of the District's criminal code since it was created by Congress in 1901.
Last month, FOX 5's chief legal correspondent Katie Barlow reported that the Washington Post editorial board said D.C.'s new crime bill could make the city "more dangerous" if the D.C. Council were to override the mayor's veto - which is what eventually happened.
The criminal code update created friction between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the City Council.
Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee disagreed publicly with changes that would - among other things - reduce penalties for carjacking, armed robbery, and burglary, and expand the right to a jury trial for misdemeanor crimes.
Pergram also tweeted the House approved the measure to repeal alterations to who can vote in D.C. with a 260-161. That plan, Pergram said, would allow all residents to vote, regardless of immigration status.