Maryland Representative Andy Harris, a Republican from the Eastern Shore, has long succeeded in stymying D.C.’s ability to regulate recreational marijuana.

When Republicans held the House of Representatives, Harris’ efforts were a huge part of why the District had a gray market for cannabis, despite a 2014 referendum that legalized recreational marijuana. Each year since then, Harris has proposed a rider to an appropriations bill that prevented D.C. from using its locally raised funds to create a tax-and-regulate system for weed. (This was also how he tried to block the implementation of the city’s marijuana decriminalization law, calling it “plain bad policy.”) This amendment has tied local officials’ hands when it came to creating a structure for the dispensaries and other that other jurisdictions now have in place, and made Harris a foe of local advocates.

But on Tuesday, with Democrats in charge for the first time since Harris took office, the Marylander didn’t propose the marijuana measure at the House Appropriations Committee.

“The fact that he didn’t even bother to offer it up is a sign of where we are nationally and for D.C. in particular—Harris must have known that he was going to lose and lose badly,” says Queen Adesuyi, policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance. “I think D.C. needs to take a mini victory lap, even though the fight continues in the Senate.” Harris’ office has not responded to a request for comment.

Indeed, Republicans in the Senate could still add the language known as the Harris Rider to the appropriations bill. But Adesuyi says she’s optimistic that won’t happen, and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has similarly expressed that the GOP-controlled Senate is less of an issue than the House.

After Democrats won the House in November, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she would be sending the D.C. Council a taxation and regulation scheme for marijuana. She introduced her plan in May, which is now at the council alongside At-large Councilmember David Grosso’s bill to legalize marijuana sales.

The marijuana-related news wasn’t the only D.C. autonomy action at the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. The Democratic-led committee also voted down what’s known as the Dornan Amendment, which prevents the District from using its locally-raised funds to pay for abortions for low-income people. However, that language could still be added back in the Senate’s version of the bill.

Despite not introducing his typical language during the committee hearing, Harris didn’t totally forget about D.C. during the committee hearing. He did introduce an amendment that would prohibit D.C. from decriminalizing sex work, after four D.C. councilmembers introduced legislation last week that would remove criminal penalties for engaging in sex work.

“That’s not the reputation this Capital Region wants to have,” Harris said. The amendment failed.