PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.5242 / 119th Congress

To repeal the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 and the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016.

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 293.

Official summary

Version 07 · Reported to House · Oct 14, 2025

This bill repeals District of Columbia (DC) laws related to sealing and expunging criminal records, sentencing of individuals under age 18, and traffic enforcement measures.

First, the bill repeals expanded eligibility in DC for sealing or expunging records of certain citations, charges, arrests, and criminal convictions. (An expunged record is erased; a sealed record may remain accessible to law enforcement but not the public.) The bill also repeals related enforcement provisions, including civil penalties against background check companies for reporting on sealed or expunged offenses.

Next, the bill reinstates mandatory minimum sentences and life imprisonment (without the possibility of parole or release) for individuals under age 18 at the time an offense was committed. The bill also eliminates requirements for the Metropolitan Police Department to provide records to the DC Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and for the Department of Corrections to provide the CJCC with access to individuals under age 21 for a report on youth crime. Further, the bill repeals a legal process by which a defendant who was convicted as an adult and who was under the age of 18 at the time the offense was committed may seek a reduced sentence.

Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.

Read full official summaryShow less

Additionally, the bill eliminates DC's automated traffic enforcement systems for the detection of moving violations (e.g., speed cameras), including vehicle owners' liability to pay fines for such violations. The bill also repeals a DC law prohibiting right turns at red traffic signals on DC streets.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Kustoff, David [R-TN-8] · R–TN

Committees

  • Oversight and Government Reform Committee
1 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 293.

  2. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 119-341.

  3. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 119-341.

  4. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 24 - 20.

  5. Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

  6. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

  7. Introduced in House

  8. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jul 22, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.5242 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.5242 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.5242 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.5242 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources