DC Introduces REMY Act to Prevent Rats–See How It Would Do This
By Blas Fuentes and Max Broad
Why is Remy, the lovable rodent protagonist of the film Ratatouille, the perfect allegory for DC’s latest bill to manage rats? Much like the Pixar character, this legislation refuses to stay small; channeling creativity and ambition to meet the city’s needs.
This bill proposes new efforts to sustainably manage rats in the District. It would address the main driver of rat expansion: food waste. The legislation would offer grants to businesses to upgrade to rodent-proof waste bins in commercial corridors, and increase public education around rat prevention. These provisions would prevent rats from accessing the food they need to repopulate and grow; using proactive planning to deter them.
The bill has an additional component that addresses a growing concern of conservationists, pet lovers, and public health officials: the increasing and erratic use of rodenticides.
Rat poison usage has spiked since the pandemic, likely a result of increased time at home that has led to increased food waste for rats and increased rat encounters around the household. People often use these poisons without realizing the impact they have on “non-target” victims, including wildlife who are attracted to the bait (often flavored with peanut butter)–such as squirrels and opossums–and even pets. Chemists designed the poisons to have a delayed effect so that rats would be unable to trace the fatal response to the bait they were eating. The consequence of that development was profound; it takes days for the poison to kill an animal, leaving them in sheer agony for extended durations, and the chemicals have a longer residence time, meaning they stay in the ecosystem for months or even years. As other animals prey on dying rats and the bodies of other deceased animals, such as owls, foxes, hawks, and coyotes, they too ingest the poison. In 2024, City Wildlife conducted a study that found widespread cases of animals being admitted due to rodenticide poisoning, posing a systemic threat to local ecosystems. Additionally, this has been observed as a public health risk, as thousands of children ingest rodenticides every year. A medical professional recently reported that between May and December of 2025, over a dozen children sought care for accidental poison ingestion.
The bill aspires to reduce this risk. The REMY Act would make rodenticide restricted for use by certified professionals and government officials, cutting down on the reckless application of poisons by unwitting neighbors who neglect to read the instructions for safe application. The social media site NextDoor has become a repeat venue for horror stories of neighbors spreading rodenticides without realizing the threat to pets, wildlife, and young children.
B26-0707 Rodent Education and Management Yields (REMY) Amendment Act of 2026
Introducer: Councilmember Henderson (At Large)
Co-Introducers: Councilmembers Allen (Ward 6), Pinto (Ward 2), Frumin (Ward 3), Lewis George (4)
Rodent-Proof Containers: Offer grants to businesses, BIDs, and other commercial corridors that have a high density of rats to upgrade to rat-proof dumpsters
Anticoagulant Rodenticides: Restricts the use of the poisons to professional and government officials.
Public Awareness: Enhances DC Health’s education campaign to enroll the general public in preventative measures that stop rats.
The REMY Act comes on the heels of another bill that Councilmember Henderson also introduced to disrupt the open flow of food waste for rats.
B26-0628 - Public Trash and Recycling Container Budgeting Act of 2026
Introducer: Councilmember Henderson
Co introducers: Councilmembers Frumin (3), Parker (5), Janeese Lewis George (4), Allen (6), and Robert White (At Large)
Upgrade public waste containers: Requires that new capital improvement projects include the cost of installing rodent-proof trash containers.
Both of the bills come on the cusp of the newly minted coalition DC Responsible Rat Management. This group brings together wildlife conservationists, pet lovers, public health enthusiasts, and concerned residents who want to decrease the threat of rodenticides while getting at the root drivers of rats. The two aforementioned bills join with the two rat bills DC Council introduced last year that fit with the coalition's mantra: Prevention, Not Poison.
Join with DC Responsible Rat Management to raise awareness about how to prevent rats while cutting down on the threat that rat poisons pose to children, pets, and wildlife.