Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act

This bill changes how police discipline works in Washington, DC. It brings back the ability for the police union and the city to bargain over discipline rules, instead of the city setting them alone. It also returns a 90-day time limit for the department to start a disciplinary case against an officer or civilian employee, so cases must begin quickly after an issue is known.

The bill removes the police chief’s power to increase punishments that a police trial board recommends, and it ends a rule that required the department to post online schedules of termination hearings with dates and allegations.

Key points

• Who is affected: DC’s Metropolitan Police Department officers and civilian employees, and the DC community they serve.
• What changes: Discipline can be part of union contracts again; the department has 90 days to start a case; the chief cannot raise the trial board’s penalty; termination hearing schedules no longer have to be posted online .
• Why it matters: Aims to make discipline rules faster, clearer, and decided through bargaining, while limiting last-minute penalty changes and public posting of hearing details.