Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Equal Treatment of the District of Columbia Under the Rural Health Transformation Program Act of 2025, which would make the District of Columbia eligible for funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program (Program). The $50 billion Program was established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). While the Program's title refers to rural health, H.R. 1 permits the Program's funds to be used for health care services, providers and technology outside rural areas.

Senate Republicans, who created the Program, made only the 50 states eligible for funding, likely depriving D.C. of hundreds of millions of dollars. D.C. is treated as a state for most federal programs because D.C. residents pay the same federal taxes as residents of states, and there is no reason D.C. should not be eligible for the Program's funds.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Commission of Fine Arts District of Columbia Residency Act. This bill would require that a majority of the members of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) be District of Columbia residents.

Under federal law and presidential executive orders (EOs), the CFA has review authority for federal property in D.C., certain military property, certain coins and medals, D.C.-owned parks and buildings and certain private land in D.C. Under the EOs, CFA has review authority for the design of D.C.-owned parks and buildings. Under the Shipstead- Luce Act, CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in D.C. ``adjacent to public buildings and grounds of major importance,'' such as Rock Creek Park and the Potomac riverfront. Under the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in the part of Georgetown referred to as ``Old Georgetown'' in the act.

Residency requirements for government positions are found in federal, state and D.C. law, including for members of the National Capital Planning Commission. The primary reason such laws exist is so that government officials have a connection to the residents they serve and knowledge of the unique issues and challenges faced by residents.

I have also introduced the Commission of Fine Arts District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which would remove the authority of the CFA over non-federal property in D.C. However, until that bill is enacted, a majority of the members should be D.C. residents.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Villareal Johnson, Sr. Villareal was a District of Columbia native, military veteran and dedicated civil servant. He passed on July 7, 2025, in the District of Columbia.

From a young age, Villareal had an interest in military service and saw himself fighting for what was right. Villareal followed his interests and joined the military, where he served in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. In 2013, Villareal retired from military service with the Sergeant First Class rank, after serving in the Army, Army Reserves, and D.C. National Guard, as Military Police. After his retirement from military service, Villareal, like his father, began a career in the civil service, working as an investigator for the Child Support Division of Office of the D.C. Attorney General.

Villareal's dedication to service extended beyond his work. In his spare time, he tirelessly served his community as Boy Scout troop leader for Minnesota Ave. Troop No. 1202, where he shared his passions for the outdoors with his scouts and taught boys wilderness survivals skills. In addition to his passion for the outdoors, Villareal was also passionate about do-it-yourself projects and the arts, as he was an artist, poet and writer.

Villareal's selflessness and dedication to both D.C. and our Nation should be recognized. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the incredible life and legacy of Villareal Johnson, Sr.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Blue Envelope Act of 2025. This bill would make blue envelope programs, which improve interactions between police officers and drivers with difficulty communicating through speech during a traffic stop, eligible for federal transportation safety funding. The American Association of People with Disabilities has endorsed this bill.

Blue envelope programs allow drivers, upon request, to receive a blue envelope that explains on the front that the driver has difficulty communicating through speech and that holds the documents a police officer might request during a traffic stop. These programs exist in many jurisdictions across the country, including statewide in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Arizona and Vermont.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General Residency Act, which would require the Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard to reside in D.C. Two Congresses ago, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform passed this bill.

The president controls the D.C. National Guard. In contrast, governors of the states and the three territories that have National Guards each control their National Guards.

The Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard is the top official in the D.C. National Guard, is appointed by the president and is a federal employee. There are residency requirements for government officials in federal law, D.C. law and the laws of jurisdictions throughout the country. In fact, several states have laws that require the top official in their National Guard to reside in the state, and it is highly likely that every state and territory only appoints residents as the top official in their National Guard. The primary reason residency requirements exist is so that government officials have a connection to the residents they serve and knowledge of the unique issues and challenges faced by residents.

Congress has justifiably required certain federal officials to reside in the jurisdiction to which they are appointed, including U.S. district court judges, U.S. Marshals and U.S. Attorneys. Similarly, Congress, which controls the local D.C. court system, has justifiably required local D.C. judges and members of the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission and the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure to reside in D.C.

There is no reason that the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, a federal entity that serves D.C. residents and that has both a military and law enforcement role, should not be required to reside in D.C. A D.C. residency requirement for the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard will lead to a better relationship between the D.C. National Guard and D.C. residents and is a matter of fairness for D.C. residents.

The D.C. mayor should control the D.C. National Guard. Until then, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Francis G. Newlands Memorial Removal Act, which would remove the plaque and inscriptions on a fountain bearing Francis G. Newlands' name from Chevy Chase Circle, a federal park located in both the District of Columbia and Maryland. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland joins me in introducing this bill. and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is the sponsor of the companion bill.

Newlands was a U.S. senator from Nevada, a conservationist and the founder of the Chevy Chase Land Company, which developed the Chevy Chase neighborhood that touches D.C. and Maryland. Newlands was also a segregationist. He built Connecticut Avenue and ran a streetcar up the road to the newly built Chevy Chase Lake. However, homes on Connecticut Avenue were purposely priced to keep working families out, and covenants were later added to many of the property deeds in Chevy Chase explicitly prohibiting the land from ever being owned by African Americans or Jews. These covenants have since been declared void. Newlands went further to keep Black and White Americans separate. In the late 1800s, he and Senator William Stewart secured 2,000 acres of land for Rock Creek Park. Establishing this park not only increased property values for landowners like Newlands and Stewart, but also kept White communities separate from emerging Black communities on what they called the ``wrong side of the park.'' Newlands' racist views went even further. In 1912, he called for the repeal of the 15th amendment, which gave African-American men the right to vote.

The fountain in Chevy Chase Circle was established in 1932 by Congress. In 1990, the Chevy Chase Land Company added a plaque with Newlands' name next to the fountain. A resolution to remove Newlands' name from the fountain was first introduced by the D.C. Chevy Chase Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 2014. On July 27, 2020, the commission voted unanimously to ask the National Park Service (NPS) to remove the plaque bearing Newlands' name and to begin discussion on a new name for the fountain. On September 14, 2020, the Maryland Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers adopted a resolution calling on NPS and Congress to remove any mention of Newlands from the fountain. On April 19, 2022, the Montgomery County Council introduced a resolution affirming the county's support for this bill. Newlands should not be honored on federal land.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the District of Columbia Courts Home Rule Act. This bill would give the Council of the District of Columbia authority over the jurisdiction and organization of the local D.C. courts. The D.C. Home Rule Act (HRA) prohibits the Council from enacting any law with respect to title 11 of the D.C. Code, which relates to the jurisdiction and organization of the local D.C. courts.

More than 50 years after passage of the HRA and notwithstanding the importance of the local D.C. courts to D.C., the Council, which is the legislative body accountable to D.C. residents, is left on the sidelines while Congress, which could not care less about the local D.C. courts, remains the only legislative body that can amend title 11 of the D.C. Code.

Under the HRA, the Council has no authority to ``enact any act, resolution, or rule with respect to any provision of title 11 of the District of Columbia Code (relating to organization and jurisdiction of the District of Columbia courts).'' Title 11 of the D.C. Code primarily relates to the rules of criminal and civil procedure, court administration, the branches of the courts, jury service and admission to the bar.

D.C. has never had authority over its local courts, even when it was responsible for paying for them. Under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, the federal government assumed from D.C. the costs for several state-level functions, including the courts. This bill would not change the federal government's responsibility for funding the local D.C. courts or the authority of the President to nominate, and the Senate to confirm, local D.C. judges.

This bill is an important step to increase self-government for D.C. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Nation's community supervision professionals, who are dedicated public servants and perform many vital roles in their work with justice-involved adults and juveniles. They identify opportunities and services to help justice- involved individuals contribute to society, while holding them accountable for their actions. They remain mindful of their role in protecting public safety.

In honor of Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week 2025, whose theme is ``Heroes Behind the Mission: Transforming Lives, Enhancing Public Safety,'' we salute all those who have chosen this important career. In the District of Columbia, we especially thank the employees of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA) and the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA) for their service. CSOSA and PSA are models of excellence in community supervision.

Community supervision agencies are valuable partners of other government agencies, nonprofits, neighborhood-based groups and all who strive to make our Nation safer and stronger. We extend our gratitude to community supervision professionals and recognize their many achievements as we proclaim July 20 through July 26, 2025, as Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week 2025.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment Home Rule Act. This bill would give the District of Columbia the authority to appoint the members of the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (Board), except when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to a chancery. The Board issues special exceptions, or variances, to the regulations issued by the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). The Board has no authority over federal property. This bill would not alter the authority of the Board.

Under current law, in general, the Board consists of a representative each from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which is a federal agency, and the Commission, each of whom may be a federal official, and three appointees of the D.C. Mayor, subject to D.C. Council approval.

Under current law, when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to the location, expansion or replacement of a chancery, the Board consists of the Executive Director of NCPC, the Director of the National Park Service (or, if the President so designates, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services) and the three mayoral appointees. This bill would not change this composition.

D.C., like every other jurisdiction in the United States, should be free to set its own local land-use policies. This bill is an important step to increase home rule for D.C. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Commission of Fine Arts District of Columbia Home Rule Act. This bill would remove the authority of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) over non-federal real property in the District of Columbia.

Under presidential executive orders (EOs) and federal law, the CFA has review authority for D.C.-owned parks and buildings, as well as for certain private land in D.C. Under EOs, the CFA has review authority for the design of D.C.-owned parks and buildings. Under the Shipstead- Luce Act, the CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in D.C. ``adjacent to public buildings and grounds of major importance,'' such as Rock Creek Park and the Potomac riverfront. Under the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in the part of Georgetown referred to as ``Old Georgetown'' in the act.

The federal government, including the CFA, whose members are appointed by the President, should not have any authority over D.C. land-use policies and decisions unrelated to the federal presence. Not only is the federal government's authority over D.C. buildings and private property a violation of home rule, it also delays and increases the cost of public and private development in D.C.

This bill is an important step to increase home rule for D.C. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the National Capital Planning Commission District of Columbia Home Rule Act. This bill would remove the authority of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a federal agency, to review or approve the development of District of Columbia-owned real property. This bill would also remove the requirement that the D.C. Mayor get NCPC's approval before selling D.C.-owned real property and allow D.C. agencies to transfer jurisdiction over D.C.-owned real property among themselves without NCPC's approval.

Under federal law, NCPC has approval authority for the development of D.C.-owned buildings located in the ``central area,'' including the location, height, bulk, number of stories and size of such buildings. D.C. is required to consult with NCPC on the development of D.C.-owned buildings outside the central area, but NCPC has only advisory authority in those areas. The central area is defined by the concurrent action of NCPC and the D.C. Council and currently consists of the Downtown and Shaw Urban Renewal Areas.

NCPC's authority over D.C.-owned real property violates D.C. home rule and is unnecessary, as demonstrated by the virtual absence of its use to disapprove sales or development. The federal government should not be able to slow, block or add to the cost of the development of D.C.-owned real property.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Foreign Service Voluntary Early Retirement Authority Act of 2025. This bill would allow members of the Foreign Service to use Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) when an agency is undergoing a reduction in force (RIF) or other restructuring. While most other federal employees are eligible for VERA if their agencies are undergoing a RIF or other restructuring, the members of the Foreign Service are not.

I strongly oppose the Trump administration's efforts to fire federal employees and to dismantle the federal government, and I will continue to fight those efforts using every tool at my disposal. However, it is important to mitigate the harm where we can, which this bill would do.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to name the post office at 3401 12th Street, Northeast in the District of Columbia for go-go legend Chuck Brown.

Chuck Brown, the ``Godfather of Go-Go,'' is beloved by D.C. for his innovative and unique sound, which gave us go-go music. Go-go is the beat of D.C., giving D.C. its own musical identity and reminding the Nation that D.C. has always been the hometown of talented artists. Chuck Brown was a strong supporter of D.C. statehood, including playing a concert on a hot and humid day on the U.S. Capitol Grounds in 2010 in support of statehood.

Chuck Brown was born on August 22, 1936, and passed away on May 16, 2012. He was a D.C. resident most of his life. He taught himself to play guitar, becoming a virtuoso singer, songwriter, guitarist and band leader. His musical catalogue spanned 22 studio albums over three decades. He earned a Grammy nomination in 2010 for the song ``Love'' from his album ``We Got This,'' and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2005.

D.C. named a park located at 2901 20th Street, Northeast, for Chuck Brown, and named a street near the historic Howard Theater for him.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Home Rule Act. This bill would give the District of Columbia the authority to appoint all members of the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). Currently, the membership of the Commission consists of two federal officials the (the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) and the Director of the National Park Service (NPS)) and three members appointed by the D.C. mayor, subject to D.C. Council approval. Federal officials are members of the Commission even though the Commission has no authority over federal property.

Land use is a quintessential local matter. Despite the D.C. Home Rule Act, which gave D.C. authority over local matters, 40 percent of the members of the Commission are federal officials, who are not accountable to the more than 700,000 D.C. residents. The federal government would lose nothing under this bill because the federal government's land-use interests in the Nation's capital are protected by federal law and federal agencies.

The Commission creates the zoning maps and regulations, which must ``not be inconsistent with the comprehensive plan for the national capital.'' The mayor is responsible for the local elements of the comprehensive plan, subject to Council approval. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which is the central planning agency for the federal government in D.C. and approves federal projects in D.C., is responsible for the federal elements of the comprehensive plan. This bill would not alter the comprehensive plan process or the authority of NCPC and the Commission.

This bill would immediately remove the AOC and the NPS Director from the Commission, and the Commission would, at least initially, consist solely of three mayoral appointees. D.C. would have the authority to reconstitute the membership of the Commission through local legislation.

This bill is an important step to increase D.C. home rule. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the District of Columbia Local Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2025. This bill would clarify that D.C. residents may not be excluded or disqualified from jury service in the local D.C. trial court, the D.C. Superior Court, based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Specifically, this bill would clarify that the term ``sex,'' which is a protected class under the non-discrimination law that applies to jurors in the D.C. Superior Court, includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The term ``sex'' would also include a sex stereotype; pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition; and sex characteristics, including intersex traits. In the 117th Congress, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform passed a version of this bill.

D.C. has one of the strongest non-discrimination laws in the country, including protecting individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, under the D.C. Home Rule Act, the D.C. Council does not have the authority to amend title 11 of the D.C. Code, which contains the non-discrimination provisions that apply to jurors in the D.C. Superior Court. Therefore, until D.C. is given authority to amend title 11 of the D.C. Code, which one of my bills would do, an act of Congress is required to clarify that LGBTQ+ jurors in the D.C. Superior Court are protected from discrimination.

As the Supreme Court said in Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Company, ``discrimination within the courtroom raises serious questions as to the fairness of the proceedings conducted there. . . . [B]ias mars the integrity of the judicial system and prevents the idea of democratic government from becoming a reality.'' Similarly, the Court, in Batson v. Kentucky, which was a juror discrimination case based on race, said, ``The harm from discriminatory jury selection extends beyond that inflicted on the defendant and the excluded juror to touch the entire community. Selection procedures that purposefully exclude black persons from juries undermine public confidence in the fairness of our system of justice.''

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.