HR 5143
· 119th Congress
· Crime and Law Enforcement
District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025
Sponsor
Latest action
Received in the Senate.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Sep 18, 2025
introduced
Received in the Senate.
Sep 17, 2025
floor
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 707. (consideration: CR H4379)
Sep 17, 2025
floor
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4922, H.R. 5143, H.R. 5140, H.R. 5125, H.R. 1047, H.R. 3015 and H.R. 3062. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4922, H.R. 5143, H.R. 5140, H.R. 5125, H.R. 1047, H.R. 3015, and H.R. 3062 under a closed rule, and provides for a motion to recommit on each measure.
Sep 17, 2025
floor
DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 5143.
Sep 17, 2025
floor
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
Sep 17, 2025
floor
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 5143, the Chair put the question on passage of the bill, and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Garcia (CA) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
Sep 17, 2025
floor
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4395)
Sep 17, 2025
passed
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 245 - 182 (Roll no. 275). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H4379)
Sep 17, 2025
passed
On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 245 - 182 (Roll no. 275). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H4379)
Sep 17, 2025
passed
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Sep 15, 2025
committee
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 707 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4922, H.R. 5143, H.R. 5140, H.R. 5125, H.R. 1047, H.R. 3015 and H.R. 3062. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4922, H.R. 5143, H.R. 5140, H.R. 5125, H.R. 1047, H.R. 3015, and H.R. 3062 under a closed rule, and provides for a motion to recommit on each measure.
Sep 10, 2025
committee
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Sep 10, 2025
committee
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 20.
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Sep 04, 2025
introduced
Introduced in House
Sep 04, 2025
introduced
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
CRS summaries
Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.
00
Introduced in House
Sep 04, 2025
District of Columbia Policing Protection Act
This bill repeals restrictions on the circumstances under which law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia (DC) may engage in vehicular pursuits (i.e., police chases) of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles, and instead generally requires such pursuits in the absence of other means of apprehension.
Currently, pursuant to DC's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, law enforcement officers generally may not engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer reasonably believes (1) the suspect was involved in a crime of violence or poses an immediate and serious threat to another person, (2) the pursuit is necessary to prevent that threat and is not likely to result in death or serious injury to any person, and (3) all other options have been exhausted or are unreasonable given the circumstances.
The bill repeals these restrictions and instead requires law enforcement officers to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer or a higher-ranking officer reasonably believes that (1) such pursuit would be futile, (2) the pursuit would entail an unacceptable risk of harm to a person other than the suspect, or (3) the suspect can be apprehended more effectively or expeditiously by other means.
The bill also requires the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the costs and benefits of DC’s Metropolitan Police Department adopting technology that alerts the public of an active police pursuit in their immediate vicinity.
via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+37
−24
36 unchanged
--- Introduced (House)
+++ Engrossed (House)
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[H.R. 5143 Introduced in House (IH)]
+[H.R. 5143 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
@@ -7,23 +7,9 @@
1st Session
H. R. 5143
-To establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of
-Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other
-purposes.
-
_______________________________________________________________________
-IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
-
-September 4, 2025
-
-Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself and Mr. Donalds) introduced the
-following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
-Government Reform
-
-_______________________________________________________________________
-
-A BILL
+AN ACT
To establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of
Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other
@@ -35,7 +21,7 @@
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia Policing
-Protection Act''.
+Protection Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. VEHICULAR PURSUITS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA.
@@ -48,17 +34,26 @@
(B) in section 127(a) (sec. 5-365.01(a), D.C.
Official Code)--
(i) by striking paragraphs (1) through (5);
-(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and
+(ii) in paragraph (6), by striking the
+period at the end and inserting the following:
+``, except that such term does not include a
+sworn federal law enforcement officer of a
+covered federal law enforcement agency as
+defined in section 11712(d) of the National
+Capital Revitalization and Self-Government
+Improvement Act of 1997 (sec. 5-133.17(d), D.C.
+Official Code).'';
+(iii) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and
(7) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;
-(iii) by striking paragraphs (8) through
+(iv) by striking paragraphs (8) through
(11); and
-(iv) by redesignating paragraph (12) as
+(v) by redesignating paragraph (12) as
paragraph (3); and
(C) in section 128 (sec. 5-365.02, D.C. Official
Code), by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and
inserting the following:
``If a law enforcement officer encounters a suspect fleeing in a
-motor vehicle, the officer shall engage in a vehicular pursuit of the
+motor vehicle, the officer may engage in a vehicular pursuit of the
suspect unless the officer, or a higher-ranking official with
supervisory authority over the officer, reasonably believes that--
``(1) vehicular pursuit would--
@@ -85,8 +80,26 @@
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
-(C) the Committee on Oversight of the House of
-Representatives; and
+(C) the Committee on Oversight and Government
+Reform of the House of Representatives; and
(D) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives.
-<all>
+
+Passed the House of Representatives September 17, 2025.
+
+Attest:
+
+Clerk.
+119th CONGRESS
+
+1st Session
+
+H. R. 5143
+
+_______________________________________________________________________
+
+AN ACT
+
+To establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of
+Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other
+purposes.
Lobbying activity
Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.
BUDCIVIMMLAW
3
filings · 2026 Q3
via Senate LDA · self-reported quarterly. Filing count = filings mentioning this bill (no position required), not money spent on it. Click a client to see all bills they've filed on.
Cosponsors (2)
Members who signed on to support this bill.