I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5798 

To restore the right to negotiate matters pertaining to the discipline of 

law enforcement officers of the District of Columbia through collective 

bargaining, to restore the statute of limitations for bringing disciplinary 

cases against members or civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police 

Department of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 

Mr. GARBARINO (for himself and Mr. D’ESPOSITO) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To restore the right to negotiate matters pertaining to the 

discipline of law enforcement officers of the District of 

Columbia through collective bargaining, to restore the 

statute of limitations for bringing disciplinary cases 

against members or civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Our Na5 tion’s Capital Emergency Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) As of September 25, 2023, Washington, 

4 DC, had recorded 24,996 crimes committed within 

5 the city limits, up 30 percent or almost 5,400 crimes 

6 from the same date in 2022. 

7 (2) As of September 25, 2023, 197 homicides 

8 had been committed in Washington, DC, up 29 per9 cent from the same date in 2022 and nearly twice 

10 the total number of homicides in 2012. 

11 (3) As of September 25, 2023, violent crime in12 cidents in Washington, DC, are up over 37 percent 

13 from the same time in 2022, including 120 reports 

14 of sexual abuse (up 1 percent) and 2,545 reports of 

15 robberies (up 65 percent). 

16 (4) As of September 25, 2023, there have been 

17 5,262 reports of motor vehicle thefts in Washington, 

18 DC, up 107 percent from the same date in 2022. 

19 (5) The Metropolitan Police Department of the 

20 District of Columbia has lost over 1,200 members 

21 since 2020. The total number of members is down 

22 478 since 2020 and the staffing levels at the De23 partment are the lowest they have been in over 50 

24 years. 

25 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to com26 bat the rise in violent crime in our Nation’s Capital by 


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1 eliminating policies which place law enforcement personnel 

2 of the District of Columbia at risk and discourage them 

3 from serving, ensuring that such personnel will be treated 

4 equitably and fairly and the recruitment and retention of 

5 such personnel shall be increased. 

6 SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF EQUITABLE AND FAIR TREAT7 MENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL 

8 OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

9 (a) RESTORATION OF RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE MAT10 TERS PERTAINING TO DISCIPLINE OF DISTRICT OF CO11 LUMBIA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THROUGH COL12 LECTIVE BARGAINING.—Section 1708 of the District of 

13 Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel 

14 Act of 1978 (sec. 1–617.08, D.C. Official Code), as 

15 amended by section 116(b) of the Comprehensive Policing 

16 and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 

17 24–345), is amended by striking subsection (c). 

18 (b) RESTORATION OF STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR

19 CLAIMS AGAINST MEMBERS OR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES OF

20 METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT.—Subtitle M of 

21 title I of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform 

22 Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24–345) is repealed, 

23 and any provision of law amended or repealed by such subVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Oct 03, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5798.IH H5798

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1 title is restored or revived as if such subtitle had not been 

2 enacted into law. 

Æ 


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