Bill Details
HR.214 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-06 - 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.
Introduced Date
2025-01-06
Policy Area
Government Operations and Politics
Committees
View committees (2)
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would give the District of Columbia more control over its own laws by ending the current period when Congress can review and block certain D.C. acts before they take effect. In simple terms, it would remove the special congressional waiting period and the process that lets Congress pass a resolution of disapproval for D.C. laws. The bill also makes related changes to other parts of the D.C. Home Rule Act so the law fits this new approach. The change would apply to D.C. acts starting with the first day of the 119th Congress.
- It removes the requirement that many D.C. laws must wait for congressional review before becoming effective.
- It repeals the section that allowed Congress to stop a D.C. act by passing a resolution of disapproval.
- It updates several related rules in the D.C. Home Rule Act and other D.C. laws so they no longer refer to the old review process.
- It would apply to D.C. acts passed, approved, repassed, or ratified on or after the first day of the 119th Congress.
Official Summaries
District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act
This 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.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 214 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
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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