Bill · S. 2688· Senate(119-S-2688)
District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act
- Introduced
- 9/2/2025
- Last activity
- 9/2/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Sponsored by
- Chris Van Hollen
- Cosponsors
- - 11 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is titled the District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act. It gives the Mayor of the District of Columbia the same authority over the District of Columbia National Guard that state governors have over their state National Guards. The legislation updates multiple existing laws, including the D.C. Official Code, Title 10 of the United States Code, and Title 32 of the United States Code, to replace references regarding National Guard command with the Mayor. Responsibilities transferred to the Mayor include serving as commander-in-chief, appointing commissioned officers, calling the guard to duty, and managing personnel and training matters. Finally, the bill amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to remove specific references to the National Guard of the District of Columbia.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this leave more decisions to the states?+7
Grants the District of Columbia leadership the same National Guard authorities exercised by state governors.
Would people in cities be better off under this?+6
Enhances local governance and emergency management capabilities for the urban residents of the District of Columbia.
Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster?+5
Empowers the D.C. Mayor to deploy the National Guard for local natural disasters and civil emergencies, improving disaster response capabilities.
The opposite
Does this give the federal government more power?-5
Transfers authority from the federal government to local district leadership, reducing federal oversight over the D.C. National Guard.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Section 2 and Section 4 give the Mayor of the District of Columbia the authority to act as commander-in-chief and manage the National Guard for local needs like natural disasters and civil disturbances, putting the district on equal footing with the states.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- The provided text does not contain any explicit mentions of negative outcomes, burdens, or consequences for individuals or groups of people.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Urban Residents+6Good For African Americans+4
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Increase States Rights+7Increases Federal Power-5
- 9/11/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/3/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/2/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 10 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat · Wisconsin
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Tammy DuckworthDemocrat · Illinois
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts