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H.R. 5143

U.S. HouseEngrossed

Summary

H.R. 5143, the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025, was introduced in the House on Sep 4, 2025 by Rep. Clay Higgins (R) with 2 co-sponsors. It last saw action on Sep 18, 2025: Received in the Senate.


Record

Text

H.R. 5143 has 2 co-sponsors, 1 roll call and 1 amendment.

hb5143/engrossed-in-house.txt
119 HR 5143 EH: District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025
U.S. House of Representatives
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
I
119th CONGRESS 1st Session
H. R. 5143
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025 .
2.
Vehicular pursuits by law enforcement officers in District of Columbia
(a)
Amendment
The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24–345) is amended—
(1)
in subtitle S of title I—
(A)
in the heading, by striking
LIMITATIONS ON THE ;
(B)
in section 127(a) (sec. 5–365.01(a), D.C. Official Code)—
(i)
by striking paragraphs (1) through (5);
(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;
(iv)
by striking paragraphs (8) through (11); and
(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 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—
(A)
entail an unacceptable risk of harm to a person other than the suspect; or
(B)
be futile; or
(2)
the suspect can be apprehended more effectively or expeditiously by a means other than vehicular pursuit.
; and
(2)
in the table of contents, by striking the item relating to subtitle S of title I and inserting the following:
SUBTITLE S. USE OF VEHICULAR PURSUITS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS 33 .
(b)
Department of Justice report on PursuitAlert
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall—
(1)
evaluate the costs and benefits of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia adopting PursuitAlert or another similar technology capable of alerting members of the public to the presence of a police pursuit in their immediate vicinity; and
(2)
publish a report on the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1) and submit the report to—
(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 and Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and
(D)
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
Passed the House of Representatives September 17, 2025. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-09-04
  2. Passed House2025-09-17
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House Sep 4, 2025

hb5143/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (09/04/2025)

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.

Sponsors

Rep. Clay Higgins (R) sponsors H.R. 5143, and 2 members have co-sponsored it, 1 of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 5143 went before 1 committee: Oversight and Government Reform.

Oversight and Government Reform
Oversight and Government Reform
Markup By · Sep 10, 2025 · 696 Bills

Actions

H.R. 5143 has taken 15 actions since Sep 4, 2025, the latest on Sep 18, 2025.

ChamberAction
Sep 18, 2025
Senate
Received in the Senate.
Sep 17, 202512:34
House
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 707. (consideration: CR H4379)
Sep 17, 202512:34
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 17, 202512:35
House
DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 5143.
Sep 17, 202513:07
House
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

Votes

H.R. 5143 went to 1 roll call in the House, the latest on Sep 17, 2025 at 245182.

ChamberQuestion
Yea
Nay
Sep 17, 2025
House
On Passage
245
182

Amendments

1 amendment has been offered to H.R. 5143, the latest acted on Sep 17, 2025.

1 bill is related to H.R. 5143.

HRES 707Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4922) to limit youth offender status in the District of Columbia to individuals 18 years of age or younger, to direct the Attorney General of the District of Columbia to establish and operate a publicly accessible website containing updated statistics on juvenile crime in the District of Columbia, to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to prohibit the Council of the District of Columbia from enacting changes to existing criminal liability sentences, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (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; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5140) to lower the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses in the District of Columbia to 14 years of age; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5125) to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to terminate the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1047) to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reform the interconnection queue process for the prioritization and approval of certain projects, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3015) to reestablish the National Coal Council in the Department of Energy to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on matters related to coal and the coal industry, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3062) to establish a more uniform, transparent, and modern process to authorize the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of international border-crossing facilities for the import and export of oil and natural gas and the transmission of electricity; and for other purposes.Mar 25, 2026 · Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1131, H.Res. 707 is amended. · Related bill

Titles

H.R. 5143 goes by 5 titles, 2 of them short titles.

  • To establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other purposes. — Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
  • District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025 — Display Title
  • District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025 — Short Title(s) as Passed House
  • To establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced
  • District of Columbia Policing Protection Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced

Cost estimate

The Congressional Budget Office has filed 1 estimate for H.R. 5143, the latest on Sep 15, 2025.


Lobbying

7 clients hired 7 firms and 45 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 5143 in 15 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Government Issues, District of Columbia, Budget/Appropriations, Firearms/Guns/Ammunition, Immigration, Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice, Health Issues.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEDistrict of Columbia15
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.501c3 NFP focusing on civil rightsAlabama13
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNIONDistrict of Columbia12
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTSDistrict of Columbia12
HERITAGE ACTION FOR AMERICADistrict of Columbia11
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE U.S.District of Columbia11
SANOFI US SERVICES INCDistrict of Columbia11

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill. The 20 named most often, of 45.

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.2025 third_quarter$2.7M3rd Quarter - Report
SANOFI US SERVICES INCSANOFI US SERVICES INC.2025 fourth_quarter$1.1M4th Quarter - Report
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTSLEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS2025 third_quarter$530K3rd Quarter - Report
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNIONAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION2025 fourth_quarter$520K4th Quarter - Report
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.2026 first_quarter$450K1st Quarter - Report
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNIONAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION2025 third_quarter$400K3rd Quarter - Report
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.2025 fourth_quarter$250K4th Quarter - Report
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTSLEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS2025 fourth_quarter$170K4th Quarter - Report
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE U.S.LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE U.S.2025 third_quarter$140K3rd Quarter - Report
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEBRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE2026 second_quarter$40K2nd Quarter - Report
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEBRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE2026 first_quarter$40K1st Quarter - Report
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEBRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE2025 third_quarter$40K3rd Quarter - Amendme…
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEBRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE2025 fourth_quarter$40K4th Quarter - Report
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCEBRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE2025 third_quarter$40K3rd Quarter - Report
HERITAGE ACTION FOR AMERICAHERITAGE ACTION FOR AMERICA2025 third_quarter$20K3rd Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 5143 under Crime and Law Enforcement, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 6 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 5143’s is Crime and Law Enforcement.

hr5143/policy-areas.txt
Crime and Law EnforcementAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 5143 carries 6 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Computers and information technology to Motor vehicles.

hr5143/subjects.txt
Computers and information technologyCongressional oversightDistrict of ColumbiaLaw enforcement administration and fundingLaw enforcement officersMotor vehicles

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 5143, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 145 (Thursday, September 4, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana:H.R. 5143.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8, clause 18: To make all Laws whichshall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution theforegoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by thisConstitution in the Government of the United States, or inany department or Officer thereof[Page H3862]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com