H.R. 7196: To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to prohibit the Council of the District of Columbia from enacting any law to permit euthanasia and assisted suicide in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Sponsor
Tom Barrett
Republican · MI-7
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jan 22, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Congress moves to repeal D.C.'s assisted-dying law
Why it matters
D.C. legalized medically assisted dying in 2016. H.R. 7196 would wipe that law off the books and bar the D.C. Council from ever passing a replacement — using Congress's authority over the District to settle an end-of-life question locally.
H.R. 7196 does two things. First, it repeals D.C.'s Death With Dignity Act of 2016, the law that lets terminally ill residents request medication to end their lives.
Second, it adds assisted suicide to the short list of subjects the D.C. Council is forbidden from legislating at all. The Council could not pass any "act, resolution, rule, regulation, guidance, or other law" permitting it — or softening the penalties for it — in the future.
The bill ties its definition to a 1997 federal statute and carries over that law's carve-outs: withdrawing treatment, stopping nutrition or hydration, abortion, and pain relief meant to ease suffering are not treated as assisted suicide. Those decisions stay legal.
H.R. 7196 Bill Summary
What H.R. 7196 actually does.
D.C.'s 2016 right-to-die law is repealed
The bill repeals the Death With Dignity Act of 2016, the framework that currently lets terminally ill D.C. residents request life-ending medication. If H.R. 7196 becomes law, that pathway disappears.
The D.C. Council is permanently barred from re-legalizing it
The bill amends the Home Rule Act to add assisted suicide to the list of subjects the Council cannot touch. It could not pass any act, resolution, rule, regulation, guidance, or other law permitting the practice in the future.
D.C. also can't reduce the penalties
Beyond banning legalization, the bill prohibits the Council from passing any measure that would lower the penalties tied to assisted suicide or euthanasia under local law.
Standard end-of-life care stays legal
The bill carries over four exceptions from the 1997 federal statute it references: withholding or withdrawing treatment, stopping nutrition or hydration, abortion, and pain relief intended to ease suffering even if it may hasten death. None of these count as assisted suicide.
It targets D.C. only — not the 50 states
This is not a nationwide ban. The bill uses Congress's authority over the District of Columbia and applies only to the D.C. Council, leaving aid-in-dying laws in other states untouched.
Who benefits from H.R. 7196?
Residents and groups who oppose assisted dying in D.C.
Opponents of the District's 2016 law would get exactly what they've pushed for: repeal of the existing framework plus a federal guarantee that the Council can't bring it back.
Providers who object to participating
Doctors, hospitals, and other providers who don't want to take part in aid in dying would no longer operate under a local law that permits it. The bill's carve-outs make clear that ordinary pain management and withdrawal of treatment remain separate and legal.
Members of Congress favoring tighter oversight of D.C.
Lawmakers who want Congress to keep a firmer hand on District policy would gain another subject the Council is blocked from legislating on its own.
Who is affected by H.R. 7196?
Terminally ill D.C. residents
Residents who currently qualify for medically assisted dying under the 2016 law would lose that option. With the law repealed and a future replacement blocked, no local pathway would remain.
The D.C. Council
The Council's lawmaking power shrinks. Assisted suicide joins the narrow set of topics the Home Rule Act forbids it from legislating — it could not permit the practice or lower related penalties.
Doctors and health systems in the District
Providers operating under the 2016 framework would have to stop. The bill leaves the four federal exceptions intact, so withdrawing treatment, stopping nutrition or hydration, abortion, and comfort-focused pain relief are not swept into the ban.
D.C. home-rule advocates
Supporters of local self-government see another instance of Congress overriding a policy the District's elected Council enacted, this time on an end-of-life question voters' representatives decided in 2016.
HR7196 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jan 22, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
About the Sponsor
Tom Barrett
Republican, Michigan's 7th congressional district · 1 years in Congress
Committees: Veterans' Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure
View full profile →
Cosponsors (1)
This bill has 1 cosponsor: 1 Republican. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Arkansas.
Committee Sponsors
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
0 of 47 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
26 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 7196 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Oversight and Government Reform
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Health
- Introduced
- Jan 22, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Jan 22, 2026
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the bill with text, actions, sponsors, and status updates.
The Home Rule Act provision listing subjects the D.C. Council cannot legislate; H.R. 7196 would add assisted suicide to this list.
The District's physician-assisted death framework, codified from the 2016 Death With Dignity Act, that H.R. 7196 would repeal.
The 1997 federal statute H.R. 7196 incorporates to define the prohibited conduct and its exceptions for treatment withdrawal, nutrition and hydration, abortion, and pain relief.
Full enacted text of the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997, the public law the bill references for its definitions and carve-outs.
H.R. 7196 Common Questions
What would H.R. 7196 do to assisted dying in Washington, D.C.?
It repeals D.C.'s 2016 Death With Dignity Act and bars the D.C. Council from ever passing another law that permits assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Is medically assisted dying currently legal in D.C.?
Yes. The District's Death With Dignity Act of 2016 lets terminally ill residents request life-ending medication. H.R. 7196 would repeal that law.
Could the D.C. Council just pass a new law later?
No. H.R. 7196 amends the Home Rule Act to take the subject off the table entirely — the Council couldn't legalize assisted suicide again through any act, rule, regulation, or guidance.
Would H.R. 7196 ban refusing or withdrawing treatment?
No. The bill carries over four federal exceptions: withdrawing treatment, stopping nutrition or hydration, abortion, and comfort-focused pain relief are not treated as assisted suicide and stay legal.
Does it affect pain medication that might shorten life?
No, as long as the medication is given to relieve pain rather than to cause death. H.R. 7196 keeps that exception intact.
Is H.R. 7196 a nationwide ban on assisted suicide?
No. It only restricts the D.C. Council under the Home Rule Act. Aid-in-dying laws in other states are untouched.
Why can Congress override a D.C. law at all?
The Constitution gives Congress authority over the District of Columbia, and the Home Rule Act lets it limit what the D.C. Council may legislate. H.R. 7196 uses that power.
Where does H.R. 7196 stand right now?
It was introduced on January 22, 2026 and referred to the House Oversight Committee, which handles District matters. It has one cosponsor and no further action yet.
Based on H.R. 7196 bill text
H.R. 7196 Bill Text
“To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to prohibit the Council of the District of Columbia from enacting any law to permit euthanasia and assisted suicide in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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