Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5698

District of Columbia Clemency Home Rule Act

D.C. Control Over Local Pardons

Oct 6, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 10 months

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It is actively moving through the system, but no future hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Very unlikely to pass

Bills that give D.C. more independence usually face strong opposition from Republicans in Congress. Without a large shift in power, this bill is unlikely to move forward.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 3753 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 3753 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill would let the District of Columbia create its own system for pardoning people who commit local crimes. Currently, only the president has the power to grant pardons or reduce sentences for people convicted under D.C. laws.
The change would mean D.C. leaders could decide who gets a second chance without needing federal approval. This includes pardons, shorter sentences, or removing fines for crimes that only happen within the city.
It would apply to crimes committed in the past as well as those in the future. The current system would stay the same until D.C. passes its own specific laws to take over the process.
Supporters say this is a step toward home rule for D.C. residents. They argue that since the president does not handle local pardons for any of the 50 states, the District should have the same independence.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Oct 6, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Oct 6, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

District of Columbia Clemency Home Rule Act

Bill NumberHR 5698

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.