WASHINGTON – D.C.’s mayor is responding to a proposed bill that aims to repeal Home Rule in the district and could strip the powers of the D.C. government if passed.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tennessee last week. It has been named the “Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident” (BOWSER) Act in the Senate and House, named after District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser.

According to the bill sponsors, the proposal is in response to the mayor and city council’s “failure to prevent violent crime, corruption, and voting by non-citizens”. It would repeal the District of Columbia Home Rule Act one year after passage.

Mayor Bowser has addressed calls to repeal Home Rule in recent months and doubled down on her past statements Monday that D.C. has followed the law and is prepared to continue defending itself.

“Home Rule is a limited self-government, but what we should be focused on is our pathway to becoming the 51st state,” Mayor Bowser said Monday.

The backstory:

Home Rule refers to the law signed in 1973 by President Richard Nixon, which created a local government for Washington, D.C. It granted DC residents the ability to elect a mayor and council, but Congress retained the power to overrule local legislation and D.C. residents remained without a vote in Congress. 

Prior to Home Rule being enacted, D.C. representatives were chosen by Congress and the President.

What’s in the BOWSER Act? 

Congress has the authority to manage the nation’s capital according to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution, the bill sponsors said.

FOX 5 reached out Monday for interviews on the proposed legislation, but neither Sen. Lee’s or Rep. Ogles’ offices returned our requests for comment.

In a joint statement, Lee said described the ‘corruption, crime, and incompetence of the D.C. government’ as an ‘embarrassment to our nation’s capital for decades’.

Rep. Ogles’ remarks in the joint statement took direct aim at Mayor Bowser.

“The radically progressive regime of D.C. Mayor Bowser has left our nation’s Capital in crime-ridden shambles.” said Rep. Ogles. “Washington is now known for its homicides, rapes, drug overdoses, violence, theft, and homelessness.
Bowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city. As such, it seems appropriate for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority and restore the nation’s Capital. The epicenter of not only the United
States Federal Government but also the world geopolitics cannot continue to be a cesspool of Democrats’ failed policies.”

What they’re saying:

Mayor Bowser did not directly respond to the bill being named after her, nor did she address criticism from the bill sponsors.

When asked about the significance of Home Rule in D.C., Bowser said Monday, the district’s focus remains on becoming the 51st state in the country

“I know there’s talks about other places being the 51st state, but we’re going to be the 51st state. What that means is that we’ll be treated just like every other American. Right now, we’re not, because we pay taxes. In fact, we pay more taxes than most, because we’re larger than two states, but we don’t have representation in Congress,” she said.

She added, residents are witnessing what that means under a new administration.

“When important things are being debated like cabinet nominees, we neither have a voice or a vote,” she said. “In the House, our congresswoman is a delegate, but she doesn’t have a vote. So, we are reminded what it means to be full citizens of this nation and we can only get that through statehood.”

What’s next:

Home Rule in D.C. has been challenged in the past, according to Prof. Leah Brooks at George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.

It’s possible this legislation could get further than it has in the past given Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, Prof. Brooks noted. However, Brooks pointed out the bill currently less than a page long and does not clearly define what happens if Home Rule is repealed.

“Basically what happens the legislation says is, we get rid of home rule as it was defined in 1973 by Congress. What it doesn’t say is, what happens after that? So, what happens after that?” she questioned. “Do we go back to the Home Rule we had as of 1967 that Lyndon Johnson passed? Do we go back to Congress managing every facet of D.C.? It’s hard for me to imagine that Congress to become the city council of Washington D.C.”

It’s not immediately clear if other congressmembers have openly supported this bill.