Congress Votes to Ban DC Traffic Cameras: What It Means for

On March 18, 2026, the House Oversight Committee passed a bill that would eliminate every automated traffic enforcement camera in Washington DC. The vote was 21 to 19, along party lines. The bill now heads to a full House vote.

If it becomes law, all 546 speed cameras, red light cameras, stop sign cameras, and bus lane cameras in the District would be shut down. DC's ban on right turns at red lights would also be repealed.

This is not a hypothetical. It passed committee two days ago.

What the Bill Is Called and Who Is Behind It

The legislation is the Stop DC CAMERA Act, introduced by Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania. The full name is the Stop DC Capital Authoritarian Motorvehicle Enforcement and Restoration of Autonomy Act.

Perry has been pushing versions of this bill for five years. His argument is straightforward: DC's camera system is a revenue operation dressed up as a safety program.

"The residents and commuters of Washington are both sick and tired of being fleeced for hundreds of dollars of petty, automated traffic fines, all in the name of alleged safety," Perry said at the committee markup.

He also pointed out that 80 percent of DC camera fines go to people from outside the city - commuters and visitors from Virginia, Maryland, and other states who do not vote in DC elections and have no say in how the camera program is run.

How Much Money DC Makes From These Cameras

The numbers are significant. DC camera enforcement revenue was $139.5 million in fiscal year 2023. By fiscal year 2025, that number had grown to $267.3 million. That is nearly a doubling in two years.

Fines range from $100 to $500 depending on the violation and how far over the speed limit a driver was traveling. The cameras operate 24 hours a day and issue tickets automatically with no officer present.

The most lucrative single camera in DC sits along I-66 near the Kennedy Center. It is widely cited as an example of placement for revenue rather than safety.

What DC Says About Its Own Cameras

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and the full DC Council oppose the bill. They argue the cameras work.

DC Transportation Committee Chair Charles Allen pointed to a 52 percent drop in traffic deaths last year as evidence that automated enforcement is doing its job. Bowser said in a statement that removing the cameras "would endanger people in our community."

Twelve of the thirteen DC Council members signed a letter to Congress urging rejection of the bill. Only Councilmember Trayon White did not sign.

The Broader Context: Congress and DC Home Rule

This bill is part of a larger pattern of Congress overriding DC's locally enacted laws. Under the DC Home Rule Act of 1973, Congress retains the power to review and block any legislation passed by the DC Council. If both chambers pass a disapproval resolution and the President signs it, the local law is overturned.

In February 2026, Congress used that same power to remove nearly $700 million from DC's local budget by overriding a DC tax law. The DC Council argued the disapproval came after the official 30-day review window had closed. That dispute is ongoing.

Rep. Perry had previously inserted a DC camera ban into an earlier bill to repeal DC's Second Chance Amendment Act. This is the third time this Congress that his camera bill has reached a markup.

The Trump administration's Department of Transportation has also proposed eliminating DC's automated traffic enforcement as part of the upcoming federal surface transportation reauthorization bill.

What Happens Next

The bill passed committee but still has several steps before it becomes law. The full House needs to schedule a rules debate and floor vote. If it passes the House, it goes to the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster. That threshold makes Senate passage difficult but not impossible if the bill is attached to a larger must-pass spending package.

DC officials are fighting it in public statements and letters, but they have limited tools to block it. Congress can override DC law at any time, on any subject, without DC residents having any vote in that outcome.

What This Means for Drivers in DC

For drivers who commute into DC from Maryland or Virginia, the bill would eliminate some of the most common sources of unexpected traffic fines. The no-right-on-red rules, which many out-of-state drivers do not know about, would be repealed. Camera-generated speeding tickets on major corridors would disappear.

For DC residents who have seen traffic deaths fall significantly, the concern is that enforcement would drop with the cameras gone. Human enforcement by officers is slower, less consistent, and far less scalable than 546 cameras running around the clock.

The revenue gap is also real. $267 million per year is not a small number. If the cameras go away, DC will need to find that money somewhere else or cut programs that depend on it.

The ATME Connection

ATME operates in Washington DC and the surrounding region. Our AI parking assistant already helps drivers understand DC's parking and traffic rules before they get a ticket, and our plate-to-plate messaging means other drivers can alert you to enforcement activity in real time.

Whether DC's camera network survives or gets shut down by Congress, the underlying problem does not go away: drivers in DC need better information about the rules, faster alerts about what is happening around their vehicle, and a way to communicate with other people on the road.

That is what ATME is built for. Download it at atme.is.