Summary
District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule ActThis bill eliminates the authority of Congress to nullify recently enacted laws of the District of Columbia (DC).Current law generally provides Congress with a 30-day period in which to review and nullify measures enacted by the DC Council (60 days for measures involving criminal law). An enacted measure is nullified if Congress passes and the President signs a joint resolution of disapproval. If there is no congressional action during the review period, the measure becomes law.The bill eliminates this congressional review period and process.
Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 214 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 214
To amend the District of Columba Home Rule Act to eliminate the
Congressional review period for District of Columbia acts.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 2025
Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the
Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the District of Columba Home Rule Act to eliminate the
Congressional review period for District of Columbia acts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN ACT.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``District of
Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act''.
(b) References in Act.--Except as may otherwise be provided,
whenever in this Act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment
to or repeal of a section or other provision, the reference shall be
considered to be made to that section or other provision of the
District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PERIOD FOR DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA ACTS.
(a) In General.--
Section 602 (
sec. 1-206.02, D.C. Official Code) is
amended by striking subsection (c).
(b) Congressional Resolutions of Disapproval.--
(1) In general.--
Section 604 (
sec. 1-206.04, D.C. Official
Code) is repealed.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents is amended
by striking the item relating to
section 604.
(3) Exercise of rulemaking power.--This subsection and the
amendments made by this subsection are enacted by Congress--
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the
House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively,
and as such they shall be considered as a part of the
rules of each House, respectively, or of that House to
which they specifically apply, and such rules shall
supersede other rules only to the extent that they are
inconsistent therewith; and
(B) with full recognition of the constitutional
right of either House to change such rules (so far as
relating to such House) at any time, in the same
manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any
other rule of such House.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) District of columbia home rule act.--(A)
Section 303
(
sec. 1-203.03, D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(i) in subsection (a), by striking the second
sentence; and
(ii) by striking subsection (b) and redesignating
subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (b) and (c).
(B)
Section 404 (
sec. 1-204.04, D.C. Official Code) is
amended by striking ``subject to the provisions of
section
602(c)'' each place it appears in subsections (e) and (f).
(C)
Section 446 (
sec. 1-204.46, D.C. Official Code) is
amended--
(i) in subsection (a), by striking the third
sentence; and
(ii) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c), by
striking ``and such act has been transmitted by the
Chairman to the Congress and has completed the review
process under
section 602(c)(3)''.
(D)
Section 462 (
sec. 1-204.62, D.C. Official Code) is
amended--
(i) in subsection (a), by striking ``(a) The
Council'' and inserting ``The Council''; and
(ii) by striking subsections (b) and (c).
(E)
Section 472(d)(1) (
sec. 1-204.72(d)(1), D.C. Official
Code) is amended by striking ``Notwithstanding
section
602(c)(1), any act of the Council'' and inserting ``Any act of
the Council''.
(F)
Section 475(e)(1) (
sec. 1-204.75(e)(1), D.C. Official
Code) is amended by striking ``Notwithstanding
section
602(c)(1), any act of the Council'' and inserting ``Any act of
the Council''.
(2) Other laws.--(A)
Section 2(b)(1) of Amendment No. 1
(relating to initiative and referendum) to title IV (the
District Charter) (
sec. 1-204.102(b)(1), D.C. Official Code) is
amended by striking ``the appropriate custodian'' and all that
follows through ``portion of such act to''.
(B)
Section 5 of Amendment No. 1 (relating to initiative
and referendum) to title IV (the District Charter) (
sec. 1-
204.105, D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ``, and
such act'' and all that follows and inserting a period.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to each
act of the District of Columbia--
(1) passed by the Council of the District of Columbia and
signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia;
(2) vetoed by the Mayor and repassed by the Council;
(3) passed by the Council and allowed to become effective
by the Mayor without the Mayor's signature; or
(4) in the case of initiated acts and acts subject to
referendum, ratified by a majority of the registered qualified
electors voting on the initiative or referendum,
on or after the first day of the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress.
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