I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 735 

To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to eliminate Congressional 

review of newly passed District laws. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 23, 2019 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 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 Columbia Home Rule Act to 

eliminate Congressional review of newly passed District laws. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN ACT. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘District of Columbia Paperwork Reduction Act’’. 

6 (b) REFERENCES IN ACT.—Except as may otherwise 

7 be provided, whenever in this Act an amendment is ex8 pressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section 

9 or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be 


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1 made to that section or other provision of the District of 

2 Columbia Home Rule Act. 

3 SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF 

4 NEWLY PASSED DISTRICT LAWS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 602 (sec. 1–206.02, D.C. 

6 Official Code) is amended by striking subsection (c). 

7 (b) CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTIONS OF DIS8 APPROVAL.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The District of Columbia 

10 Home Rule Act is amended by striking section 604 

11 (sec. 1–206.04, D.C. Official Code). 

12 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con13 tents is amended by striking the item relating to sec14 tion 604. 

15 (3) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWER.—This 

16 subsection and the amendments made by this sub17 section are enacted by Congress— 

18 (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power 

19 of the House of Representatives and the Sen20 ate, respectively, and as such they shall be con21 sidered as a part of the rules of each House, re22 spectively, or of that House to which they spe23 cifically apply, and such rules shall supersede 

24 other rules only to the extent that they are in25 consistent therewith; and 


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1 (B) with full recognition of the constitu2 tional right of either House to change such 

3 rules (so far as relating to such House) at any 

4 time, in the same manner, and to the same ex5 tent as in the case of any other rule of such 

6 House. 

7 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

8 (1) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOME RULE ACT.— 

9 (A) Section 303 (sec. 1–203.03, D.C. Official Code) 

10 is amended— 

11 (i) in subsection (a), by striking the second 

12 sentence; and 

13 (ii) by striking subsection (b) and redesig14 nating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 

15 (b) and (c). 

16 (B) Section 404 (sec. 1–204.04, D.C. Official 

17 Code), as amended by the Local Budget Autonomy 

18 Amendment Act of 2012, is amended by striking 

19 ‘‘subject to the provisions of section 602(c)’’ each 

20 place it appears in subsections (e) and (f). 

21 (C) Section 446 (sec. 1–204.46, D.C. Official 

22 Code), as amended by section 2(e) of the Local 

23 Budget Autonomy Amendment Act of 2012, is 

24 amended— 


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1 (i) in the second sentence of subsection 

2 (a), by striking ‘‘pursuant to the procedure set 

3 forth in section 602(c)’’; 

4 (ii) in subsection (c) in the matter pre5 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 

6 472(d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 472(d)’’; 

7 (iii) in subsection (c) in the matter pre8 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 

9 475(e)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 475(e)’’; and 

10 (iv) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c), by 

11 striking ‘‘and has completed the review process 

12 under section 602(c)(3)’’. 

13 (D) Section 462 (sec. 1–204.62, D.C. Official 

14 Code) is amended— 

15 (i) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(a) The 

16 Council’’ and inserting ‘‘The Council’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking subsections (b) and (c). 

18 (E) Section 472(d) (sec. 1–204.72(d), D.C. Of19 ficial Code), as amended by section 2(h) of the Local 

20 Budget Autonomy Amendment Act of 2012, is 

21 amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(d) PAYMENTS NOT SUBJECT TO APPROPRIA23 TION.—Section 446(c) shall not apply to any amount obli24 gated or expended by the District for the payment of the 


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1 principal of, interest on, or redemption premium for any 

2 revenue anticipation note issued under subsection (a).’’. 

3 (F) Section 475(e) (sec. 1–204.75(e), D.C. Of4 ficial Code), as amended by section 2(h) of the Local 

5 Budget Autonomy Amendment Act of 2012, is 

6 amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(e) PAYMENTS NOT SUBJECT TO APPROPRIA8 TION.—Section 446(c) shall not apply to any amount obli9 gated or expended by the District for the payment of the 

10 principal of, interest on, or redemption premium for any 

11 revenue anticipation note issued under this section.’’. 

12 (2) OTHER LAWS.—(A) Section 2(b)(1) of 

13 Amendment No. 1 (relating to initiative and ref14 erendum) to title IV (the District Charter) (sec. 1– 

15 204.102(b)(1). D.C. Official Code) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘the appropriate custodian’’ and all that fol17 lows through ‘‘portion of such act to’’. 

18 (B) Section 5 of Amendment No. 1 (relating to 

19 initiative and referendum) to title IV (the District 

20 Charter) (sec. 1–204.105, D.C. Official Code) is 

21 amended by striking ‘‘, and such act’’ and all that 

22 follows and inserting a period. 

23 (C) Section 16 of the District of Columbia Elec24 tion Code of 1955 (sec. 1–1001.16, D.C. Official 

25 Code)— 


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1 (i) in subsection (j)(2)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘sections 404 and 

3 602(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 404’’; and 

4 (II) by striking the second sentence; 

5 and 

6 (ii) in subsection (m)— 

7 (I) in the first sentence, by striking 

8 ‘‘the appropriate custodian’’ and all that 

9 follows through ‘‘parts of such act to’’; 

10 (II) by striking ‘‘is held. If, however, 

11 after’’ and inserting ‘‘is held unless, 

12 under’’; and 

13 (III) by striking ‘‘section, the act 

14 which’’ and all that follows and inserting 

15 ‘‘section.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

17 The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 

18 respect to each act of the District of Columbia— 

19 (1) passed by the Council of the District of Co20 lumbia and signed by the Mayor of the District of 

21 Columbia; 

22 (2) vetoed by the Mayor and repassed by the 

23 Council; 


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1 (3) passed by the Council and allowed to be2 come effective by the Mayor without the Mayor’s sig3 nature; or 

4 (4) in the case of initiated acts and acts subject 

5 to referendum, ratified by a majority of the reg6 istered qualified electors voting on the initiative or 

7 referendum, 

8 on or after October 1, 2019. 

Æ 


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