Congress loosens rules for D.C. police car chases.

What it does

This bill changes how D.C. police can chase people in cars. It removes old, detailed rules. Now officers can chase suspects unless a supervisor thinks the chase is too risky. The bill also tells the Justice Department to study warning the public about chases.

Who it affects

D.C. police officers and federal law enforcement can chase suspects more easily. People in D.C. may be affected because car chases can cause crashes and hurt bystanders.

One thing to notice

The bill removes old rules but does not say what those rules were. The new rule gives officers and supervisors a lot of power to decide whether to chase.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 2 Republicans.

• Sep 4, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 4, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform”
• Sep 10, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Sep 10, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 20”
• Sep 17, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 245 - 182 (Roll no. 275).”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 2 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $80,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 70 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.

Clay Higgins, who sponsored the bill, received $151,070 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence — $80,000 in 2 reports

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• supervisor — A police officer in charge who makes decisions about other officers.
• Justice Department — The part of the federal government that handles law and courts.
• chase — When police follow someone in a car who is fleeing.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.