Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act
The Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act would create a federally led program within the Department of the Interior to beautify and maintain cleanliness across Federal and District of Columbia facilities, monuments, public spaces, sidewalks, parks, transit, and other commonly visited areas in DC. It also directs graffiti removal, restoration of damaged monuments, and seeks private-sector participation. The program would require annual progress reports to Congress and would terminate on January 2, 2029. In addition, the bill establishes the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission in the executive branch, with representation from numerous federal agencies and DC/U.S. Attorney offices, and requires the President to designate a Chair. The Commission would develop and review actions related to immigration enforcement in DC, monitor sanctuary-city status, support DC law enforcement and crime lab accreditation, streamline processing of concealed-carry licenses, evaluate pretrial detention policies, and cooperate with local authorities to reduce crime and fare evasion in the WMATA system. It would have authority to request operational assistance from federal and local agencies and must report to Congress on its activities, with a sunset date of January 2, 2029.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of a Program to Beautify DC: A 30-day timeline to develop a program coordinating cleaning, graffiti removal, and maintenance of federal and DC spaces, monuments, parks, roads, transit, and other areas; promote private-sector participation; annual progress reports; first report due within 1 year; program sunsets in 2029.
- 2Consultation Requirements: The Interior Secretary must consult with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Transportation, the Mayor of DC, the US Attorney for DC, the GSA Administrator, and other federal/DC officials as appropriate.
- 3District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission: Creation of a federal executive-branch Commission with members from Interior, Transportation, Homeland Security, FBI, US Marshals Service, ATF, US Attorneys’ Offices (DC, MD, Eastern District of VA), and additional entities designated by the Chair; a President-designated Chair to set meetings and develop a charter.
- 4Expanded Federal Role in DC Policies: The Commission would pursue actions related to immigration policy enforcement in DC, sanctuary-city status monitoring, crime lab accreditation, MPD recruitment/retention with federal help, speeding up concealed-carry license processing, revising pretrial detention policies to detain dangerous individuals, and enhancing federal/local cooperation to reduce crime and fare evasion in transit and in key DC areas.
- 5Coordination and Reporting: The Commission can request and coordinate with Federal and local agencies (e.g., MPD, WMATA, Park Police, Amtrak Police) and must submit a report to Congress detailing activities and recommending further legislation if needed; sunset date of 2029.