Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC Act of 2025
Key claim: The CLEAN DC Act (HR5107) would repeal the District of Columbia’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 and restore the prior legal regime governing police neck restraints, body-worn cameras, and access to disciplinary records.
Abstract
(HR5107 · 119th Congress) Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC Act or the CLEAN DC Act This bill repeals the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia. Any provision of law amended or repealed by that act is restored or revived as if it had not been enacted. (The act sets forth a variety of measures that focus on policing, including measures prohibiting the use of certain neck restraints by law enforcement officers, requiring additional procedures related to body-worn cameras, and expanding access to police disciplinary records.) Latest action (2025-11-20): Received in the Senate.
Why this matters
The 2022 DC policing reform statute tightened restrictions on neck restraints, expanded body-worn camera release requirements, and opened officer disciplinary records to public inspection — measures that directly affect residents’ ability to document and challenge police conduct. A full repeal would restore the prior regime, reducing transparency and accountability tools available to civilians, journalists, and civil rights litigants in the District. Because Congress uniquely holds legislative authority over DC, the bill also raises recurring civil rights questions about home-rule and the ability of a majority-Black jurisdiction to set its own policing standards.