WATCH LIVE: Senate holds vote on crime bill despite DC Council withdrawal

Rachel Schilke

March 08, 04:00 PM March 08, 04:00 PM

The Senate is voting on whether to overturn Washington, D.C.'s criminal code that would lessen penalties for some crimes, including homicide.

The vote comes after Council of the District of Columbia Chairman Phil Mendelson sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris withdrawing the criminal code bill from the Senate and saying it would undergo revisions to be resubmitted at a later date.

DC COUNCIL CHAIRMAN WITHDRAWS CRIMINAL CODE BILL TO STALL VOTE

However, Senate leaders said they planned to move forward with the vote shortly after Mendelson's announcement.

"Not only does the statute not allow for a withdrawal of a transmission, but at this point, the Senate Republican privileged motion will be acting on the House disapproval resolution, rather than the DC Council’s transmission to the Senate," a Senate leadership aide said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.

Mendelson called the Senate vote "symbolic" and drew on the Home Rule Act as justification for the bill's removal.

GOP lawmakers have been successful in their efforts to overhaul Washington's bill, part of a larger-scale strategy to pressure both President Joe Biden and Democrats to take a tougher approach to crime.

If the bill passes the Senate, it will head to Biden's desk, where it is expected to be signed despite it no longer technically being before both chambers.

The vote will begin at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday.