Just one day after Westchester County Executive George Latimer formally announced that he will be running in a Democratic Primary to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman who represents New York’s 16th Congressional District, the House of Representatives today voted to censure Bowman for setting off a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building.
According to CNN reporters Clare Foran and Haley Talbot, following passage of the resolution, House Speaker Mike Johnson called for Bowman to present himself in the well of the House chamber and publicly announced the censure. A crowd of Democratic lawmakers gathered around Bowman as that happened.
Bowman had pulled the fire alarm shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on a funding bill. He had said that he did it by accident. Bowman was charged with a misdemeanor in the incident and pleaded guilty in a Washington, D.C., court.
The censure resolution had been put forward by Republican Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan. McClain posted on X, formerly Twitter, “I introduced a PRIVILEGED RESOLUTION to censure Representative Bowman for knowingly causing a false alarm of a fire while the House worked to avert a government shutdown. Nobody is above the law, Congressmen included.”
Bowman’s district covers Westchester and a section of the Bronx.
Speaking on the House floor yesterday, Bowman said that he touched off the alarm by accident when opening a door while he was rushing to the House floor for a vote that was taking place on a measure to temporarily fund the government and avoid a shutdown..
“The Republican Party is deeply unserious and unable to legislate,” Bowman said. “Their censure resolution against me … continues to demonstrate their inability to legislate and serve the American people.”
The vote on the resolution to censure was 214 to 191. The resolution read:
“Censuring Representative Jamaal Bowman.
“Whereas, on September 30, 2023, as the House of Representatives was considering legislation to avoid a lapse of appropriations for Federal agencies and departments which would result in a shutdown of those agencies and departments, Jamaal Bowman, the Representative from the 16th Congressional District of New York, pulled a fire alarm;
“Whereas section 22–1319 of the District of Columbia Criminal Code makes knowingly causing a false alarm of fire a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment up to six months, or both;
“Whereas section 22–1319 of the District of Columbia Criminal Code states “It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to willfully or knowingly give a false alarm of fire within the District of Columbia, and any person or persons violating the provisions of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and be punished by a fine not more than the amount set forth in section 22–3571.01 [of this Code] or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment”;
“Whereas, on October 26, 2023, Representative Bowman pled guilty to violating section 22–1319 of the District of Columbia Criminal Code and was required to pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology letter to the United States Capitol Police and was placed on probation; and
“Whereas the actions of Representative Bowman forced the evacuation of the Cannon House Office Building and disrupted the work of the Congress as a vote was underway on the floor of the House: Now, therefore, be it
“(1) the House of Representatives censures Jamaal Bowman, Representative from the 16th Congressional District of New York;
“(2) Representative Jamaal Bowman will forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure; and
“(3) Representative Jamaal Bowman will be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker.”
