Bill
B 26-0671
Strengthen protections for domestic violence victims by expanding detention, penalties, and privacy protections while tightening laws on intrafamily offenses and kidnapping.
Date introduced: April 27, 2026
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Sponsor: Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (co-sponsor), Mayor Muriel Bowser
Purpose and intent
- Strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and other intrafamily offenses.
- Tighten accountability for offenders through enhanced pretrial detention, post-conviction orders, and increased penalties.
- Improve privacy protections for victims and witnesses by limiting public disclosure of identifying information by MPD.
- Close gaps in current law related to kidnapping, unlawful entry, and dangerous/crime designations when offenses involve intimate partners or intrafamily contexts.
Key provisions and changes
1) Protection orders and release conditions
- Creates a new felony offense for repeated violations of temporary and civil protection orders (TPOs/CPOs).
- Establishes a rebuttable presumption in favor of detention for defendants released pending trial who commit a new offense against the same intimate partner.
- Expands penalties for violations of post-conviction stay-away and no-contact orders in misdemeanor intrafamily offenses and misdemeanor sex offenses.
- Permanently codifies the Council’s prior changes to pretrial detention authority, including detention of certain offenders with documented histories of domestic violence.
2) Detention authority and pretrial decision-making
- Courts can detain offenders charged with an offense against an intimate partner if they have a documented history of domestic violence or were subject to a protection order at the time of the offense.
- Creates a new detention basis for individuals charged in an intrafamily offense who, at the time of the offense, were released pending trial or sentencing in another intrafamily case.
- Adds a non-discretionary hold for intrafamily offenders released pending other proceedings.
3) Expanded “dangerous crime” and kidnapping provisions
- Adds felony threats and felony violations of temporary or civil protection orders to the definition of “dangerous crime” when committed against an intimate partner.
- Expands kidnapping provisions to define three degrees of kidnapping based on distance moved, duration of confinement, and the offender’s intent.
- First-degree kidnapping: ≥20 feet movement or ≥10 minutes confinement with serious harm/death risk, felonies, or financial gain; max 30 years.
- Second-degree kidnapping: ≥10 feet movement or ≥5 minutes confinement; max 15 years.
- Third-degree kidnapping: any distance/time with intent to harm or other listed harms; max 180 days.
- Creates a non-consensual kidnapping offense with the defense that the victim consented to abduction.
4) Enhanced penalties for violence, pregnancy, and presence of a child
- Enhanced penalties for crimes against pregnant victims (up to 1.5x fines and up to 1.5x prison terms in listed offenses).
- Enhanced penalties for intrafamily violence committed in the presence of a child (up to 5 years additional imprisonment and possible fine).
5) Unlawful entry and related offenses
- Clarifies unlawful entry to allow up to 10 years in prison and/or fines if, while unlawfully inside, the offender commits or threatens assault, stalking, or violent crime.
- Establishes a felony version of unlawful entry for such circumstances.
6) Privacy protections
- Amends MPD public disclosure rules to protect the actual addresses of Address Confidentiality Program participants and the names/addresses of crime victims or witnesses from public disclosure.
7) Administrative and technical updates
- Codifies and clarifies kidnapping definitions in the DC code, including penalties for attempts.
- Revisions to align with Secure DC Omnibus changes and other related statute definitions.
- Effective date: upon mayoral approval, subject to a 60-day Congressional review.
Fiscal impact
- CFO-calculated: funds are sufficient in the 2026 budget and 2027–2030 plans to implement the bill.
- Impact primarily on intrafamily offense penalties and related pretrial detention processes.
- Expected small overall impact on court dockets and detention facilities; agencies like the Office of the Attorney General and MPD anticipate minimal fiscal disruption.
Effective date
- Takes effect after mayoral approval, Congressional review period, and publication in the DC Register.
Notes
- The bill provides legal sufficiency review confirmation by the Office of the Attorney General.
- Referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety for consideration.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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