Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act
This bill, titled the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act, would create two new federal initiatives for the District of Columbia (DC). First, a Program to Beautify DC led by the Secretary of the Interior within 30 days of enactment, intended to coordinate cleanliness and maintenance of federal and DC facilities, monuments, public spaces, sidewalks, parks, transit areas, and other commonly visited areas; remove graffiti; restore damaged monuments; and encourage private-sector participation. The program would require annual progress reports and would sunset on January 2, 2029. Second, it would establish the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Commission in the executive branch. This Commission would include representatives from multiple federal agencies (and DC-area U.S. Attorneys offices) and be chaired by a senior White House official designated by the President. Its duties would include recommending and reviewing actions related to immigration enforcement in DC, monitoring DC’s sanctuary-city status, improving the DC crime laboratory’s accreditation, supporting DC police recruitment and resources with federal help, expediting concealed-carry licensing processes, examining pretrial detention policies, addressing crime in the WMATA transit system, and coordinating a broader federal and local law enforcement presence in DC. The Commission would report to Congress and would also sunset on January 2, 2029.
Key Points
- 1Program to Beautify DC: Establishes a federal program under the Interior Secretary to coordinate cleanliness and maintenance of federal and DC facilities and public spaces, remove graffiti, restore damaged monuments, and encourage private-sector participation; includes annual progress reporting; sunsets in 2029.
- 2Consultation for the program: Secretary to consult with the Attorney General, Secretary of Transportation, DC Mayor, U.S. Attorney for DC, GSA Administrator, and other appropriate federal/DC officials.
- 3DC Safe and Beautiful Commission: Creates an executive-branch commission with broad federal representation (Interior, Transportation, Homeland Security, FBI, US Marshals Service, ATF, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for DC/Maryland/Eastern District of Virginia) and potentially other entities designated by the Chair.
- 4Chair and charter: President-designated senior official to chair the Commission; the Chair designs the member roster (including adding entities) and develops a charter to be submitted to Congress.
- 5Commission functions: Includes recommending actions on immigration enforcement in DC, monitoring sanctuary-city status, accrediting DC’s forensic crime lab, aiding DC police recruitment and resources with federal help, speeding up concealed-carry license processing, reviewing pretrial detention policies, and coordinating security and law-enforcement presence in key DC areas and transit facilities.
- 6Coordination and cooperation: The Commission may request operational assistance from and coordinate with federal and local agencies such as MPD, WMATA, US Park Police, and Amtrak Police.
- 7Reporting and sunset: The Commission must report to Congress on its activities and recommendations; the section and Commission sunset on January 2, 2029.