{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9031", "Gosar Introduces Legislation to Restore Accountability and Reform Washington, DC Criminal Justice Policies", "2025-09-11", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Paul A. Gosar", "G000565", "gosar.house.gov", "gosar", "https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statementafter introducing H.R. 5183, the District of Columbia Home Rule Improvement Act, important legislation designed to strengthen Congressional oversight of the D.C. Council and prevent the city from enacting reckless policies that jeopardize public safety and undermine the rule of law:\n\n\u201cUnder the Constitution\u2019s District Clause, Congress retains ultimate responsibility for the governance of the District of Columbia. Yet in recent years, the D.C. Council has advanced a series of dangerous soft-on-crime measures, including efforts to slash criminal penalties, weaken law enforcement, and defy previous Congressional disapprovals.\n\nH.R. 5183 restores much-needed balance by extending the congressional review period for all D.C. Council legislation from 30 to 60 legislative days before it can take effect. Public safety comes first. Too often, the D.C. Council rushes through radical measures that disregard safety and defy common sense.\n\nMy bill also prohibits the Council from reintroducing or passing bills substantially similar to measures previously disapproved by Congress. If Congress rejects a bad idea, the Council should not get another chance to sneak it through.\n\nWashington, D.C. deserves a transparent government, not one that hides controversial measures behind so-called \u201cemergency waivers.\u201d My bill also prevents the Council from extending emergency waivers that have been abused to sidestep Congressional oversight and adopt policies that have nothing to do with genuine emergencies.\n\nFinally, H.R. 5183 requires an annual report and hearing from the D.C. Council to Congress. This commonsense step will ensure that the federal district is governed in a manner that reflects its residents and its unique role as our nation\u2019s capital.\n\nThe D.C. Council has shown time and again that it cannot be trusted to put public safety first. My bill makes it clear: Congress has a constitutional obligation to ensure our nation\u2019s capital is safe, stable, and governed responsibly,\u201d stated Congressman Paul Gosar.\n\nBackground:", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9031"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0372032411396503, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}