FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Zoe Ades, Communications Director
Councilmember Brooke Pinto issued the following statement on the Council’s vote to override Mayor Bowser’s veto of the Revised Criminal Code Act:
“This afternoon, the Council voted overwhelmingly to override the Mayor’s veto of the Revised Criminal Code Act — ensuring a decades long process to modernize our criminal laws and ensure rationality and proportionality in the law is not stalled. Now that the Revised Criminal Code Act is passed, the Council has until October 2025 when this legislation goes into effect to make improvements and ensure a smooth implementation.
As the Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I will be introducing legislation in the coming months to address the outstanding concerns I have with the Revised Criminal Code. This legislation will include measures to expand penalties for gun possession offenses, provide additional training for police officers on the changes in the law, and increase the court’s capacity to handle a greater volume of jury trials.
In addition, I will continue working with the Mayor, the Office of the Attorney General, the US Attorney’s Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Public Defender Service, and other stakeholders to ensure our criminal laws are strong and proportionate.
While the work to create fair and just criminal laws continues, the Revised Criminal Code Act is a monumental step forward; bringing our criminal code into the 21st century, advancing equity and justice, and promoting public safety by ensuring that the law is clear for prosecutors, victims, defendants, and courts.”