EXCLUSIVE — The Republican-led effort to overturn the revised criminal code in Washington, D.C., is not only essential for public safety but also for the survival of small businesses scattered throughout the district, according to a top GOP lawmaker.
Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, commended his GOP colleagues in the Senate for their efforts to advance a bill that would repeal the district’s rewritten criminal code, which sought to reduce the penalties for some crimes such as robberies and carjackings. Williams emphasized how such a code would harm local businesses by perpetuating a “lawless environment.”
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“Soft-on-crime policies have been devastating for small-business owners,” Williams told the Washington Examiner. “When criminals’ actions go unpunished, small businesses, their employees, and customers are the ones left behind. Public safety is a prerequisite for economic development, and we must ensure the people investing their time and money to run a business are not operating in a lawless environment.”
As crime rates have surged in Washington over the last two years, several small businesses have struggled to stay afloat — forcing many to close their doors. More than half of small-business owners in the retail sector say they have experienced an increase in retail theft over the past year, forcing them to raise prices in order to offset financial losses.
More than $68 billion worth of sales were lost in 2021 due to shoplifting, resulting in the loss of more than 650,000 jobs, according to the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Buy Safe America Coalition.
The groups carrying out the theft have been particularly motivated by state laws that dictate how levels of theft are prosecuted, allowing criminal rings to operate largely without consequence, according to the Chamber of Commerce. As a result, more than 75% of small businesses say they support increased penalties for retail theft, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business.
That sentiment has also been felt in Washington as several local businesses have shuttered over the last two years due to rising crime.
Roughly 48 restaurants in the district closed in 2022, a 20% increase from the year before, according to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Several restaurant owners said crime was a major factor that led to their decision.
The Senate is poised to pass a bill on Wednesday that will repeal the overhaul of Washington’s century-old criminal code, marking the first time in 30 years that Congress has repealed a local law passed by the Council of the District of Columbia.
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The vote marks the end of a weekslong debate between Republicans and Democrats on whether Congress should intervene with local affairs in Washington. The resolution also revived tensions between Congress and district lawmakers, who denounced the legislation as an effort to score political points ahead of a crucial election cycle.
Once the legislation advances through the Senate, it will head to President Joe Biden’s desk. He said last week that he will sign the bill despite his previous opposition.
