Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican congressman from Utah, has decided to overturn the will of D.C.’s elected legislators. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican congressman from Utah, has decided to overturn the will of D.C.’s elected legislators. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In addition to announcing that he’d like to “Divest DC” of its federal agencies and move them outside the region, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.) also announced a plan yesterday to block the District’s recently passed right-to-die bill.

The chairman of the House committee that oversees the District of Columbia said he will introduce a disapproval resolution (which any member of Congress can do) to block the passage of the “Death with Dignity Act of 2015.”

“Assisted suicide is not something we take lightly,” Chaffetz told reporters, the Washington Post reported.

Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh introduced the Death with Dignity bill last January, fully expecting local controversy. A hearing on the bill was filled with passionate testimony on both sides.

But while some on the Council grappled with their own religious and moral beliefs, they overwhelmingly voted to let terminally ill patients who have less than six months to live make their own choice. It passed on an 11-2 vote, and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed it with little fanfare last month.

If Chaffetz’s effort fails, D.C. would join Oregon, Montana, Vermont, Washington, and California in allowing terminally ill patients to legally end their lives. Both the House and the Senate would have to vote for the disapproval resolution, and be signed by the president, to block the law.

It’s hardly the first time that Chaffetz has tried to legislate for a District that he doesn’t represent. He’s tried to force D.C. to hold a public vote on whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage and (redundantly) moved to block the city’s medical marijuana law. More recently, he supported for an effort to overturn D.C.’s Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act, which prevents employers from discriminating based on reproductive health decisions.

“We expected opposition here in the House to D.C.’s ‘Death with Dignity’ bill, as we routinely get opposition to laws passed by the District of Columbia that are at odds with views of Members of Congress who do not represent the District,” D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said in a statement. “I intend to fight all efforts to block the bill and to prevail.”

Death with Dignity advocates also say they plan to fight the effort, and are urging supporters to call their representatives. “If Members of Congress want to force their beliefs on the people of D.C., they’ll have to go through us first,” said Sarah Levin, the senior legislative representative for the Secular Coalition for America. “Like all members of Congress, Rep. Chaffetz was elected to serve his constituents, not dictate private medical decisions for the people of D.C.”

Because of the hurdles to overturning District law via disapproval resolution, Republican lawmakers more typically use budget appropriation powers to change local policies. For example, efforts to tax and regulate marijuana, which was overwhelmingly legalized via ballot referendum, have been blocked by riders in congressional spending bills. (There was also that time the Chaffetz sent a letter warning Mayor Muriel Bowser that she could be arrested if she allowed D.C. to move forward with marijuana legalization. )

Advocates say that nearly 70 percent of D.C. voters are in favor of medical aid in dying, roughly the same as the national rate. But, hey, Chaffetz once boasted to a reporter of having visited all of the city’s Five Guys and Matchbox restaurants, so he definitely knows what Washingtonians want.

While the Utahn is busy legislating for us, Councilmember Charles Allen has offered to save him a seat at the John A. Wilson Building, where our elected representatives meet.

This post has been updated with additional comment.

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