House · On PassagePassed
Yea 225 Nay 203 Present / not voting 4
H.R. 5140 · 119th CongressStatus not classified
To lower the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses in the District of Columbia to 14 years of age.
Latest action. Received in the Senate.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceThis bill lowers the age at which an individual may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses in the District of Columbia (DC) to 14 years of age.
Under current DC law, an individual who is under 18 years of age is tried as a juvenile in family court. However, an individual who is 16 years of age or older may be tried as an adult if the individual is charged with murder, first-degree sexual abuse, burglary in the first degree, robbery while armed, or assault with intent to commit any such offense. Additionally, an individual who is 15 years of age or older may be tried as an adult if the individual is alleged to have committed a felony and it is determined that (1) it is in the interest of the public welfare to try the individual as an adult, and (2) there are no reasonable prospects for the individual's rehabilitation.
The bill lowers the minimum age to be tried as an adult in these cases to 14 years of age.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 4, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Latest action, as recorded
September 17, 2025
Received in the Senate.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on September 17, 2025: Received in the Senate.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Brandon Gill (R-TX) introduced it on September 4, 2025, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 6 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 4, 2025, 371 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 358 days ago, on September 17, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action