I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1205

To provide for the retrocession of the District of Columbia to the State

of Maryland, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 3, 1993

Mr. REGULA introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on the Judiciary and the District of Columbia

A BILL

To provide for the retrocession of the District of Columbia

to the State of Maryland, and for other purposes.

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.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia

5 Retrocession Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. RETROCESSION OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO

7 MARYLAND.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the issuance of a proclama9 tion by the President under section 7 and except as pro10 vided in subsection (b), the territory ceded to Congress
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1 by the State of Maryland to serve as the District constitut2 ing the permanent seat of the Government of the United

3 States is ceded and relinquished to the State of Maryland.

4 (b) CONTINUATION OF FEDERAL CONTROL OVER

5 NATIONAL CAPITAL SERVICE AREA.—Notwithstanding

6 subsection (a), Congress shall continue to exercise exclu7 sive legislative authority and control over the District of

8 Columbia, which shall consist of the National Capital

9 Service Area described in section 4.

10 SEC. 3. EFFECT ON JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS IN DISTRICT

11 OF COLUMBIA.

12 (a) CONTINUATION OF SUITS.—No writ, action, in13 dictment, cause, or proceeding pending in any court of the

14 District of Columbia on the effective date of this Act shall

15 abate as a result of the enactment of this Act, but shall

16 be transferred and shall proceed within such appropriate

17 court of the State of Maryland as established under the

18 laws or constitution of the State of Maryland.

19 (b) APPEALS.—An order or decision of any court of

20 the District of Columbia for which no appeal has been filed

21 as of the effective date of this Act shall be considered an

22 order or decision of a court of the State of Maryland for

23 purposes of appeal from and appellate review of such order

24 or decision in an appropriate court of the State of Mary25 land.
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1 SEC. 4. NATIONAL CAPITAL SERVICE AREA.

2 (a) DESCRIPTION.—The National Capital Service

3 Area referred to in section 2(b) is comprised of the prin4 cipal Federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol

5 Building, the United States Supreme Court Building, and

6 the Federal executive, legislative, and judicial office build7 ings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building

8 (but shall not include the District Building), and is more

9 particularly described as the territory located within the

10 following boundaries:

11 Beginning at the point on the present Virginia12 District of Columbia boundary due west of the

13 northernmost point of Theodore Roosevelt Island

14 and running due east of the eastern shore of the Po15 tomac River;

16 thence generally south along the shore at the

17 mean high water mark to the northwest corner of

18 the Kennedy Center;

19 thence east along the north side of the Kennedy

20 Center to a point where it reaches the E Street

21 Expressway;

22 thence east on the expressway to E Street

23 Northwest and thence east on E Street Northwest to

24 Nineteenth Street Northwest;

25 thence north on Nineteenth Street Northwest to

26 F Street Northwest;
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1 thence east on F Street Northwest to Eight2 eenth Street Northwest;

3 thence south on Eighteenth Street Northwest to

4 Constitution Avenue Northwest;

5 thence east on Constitution Avenue to Seven6 teenth Street Northwest;

7 thence north on Seventeenth Street Northwest

8 to H Street Northwest;

9 thence east on H Street Northwest to Madison

10 Place Northwest;

11 thence south on Madison Place Northwest to

12 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest;

13 thence east on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

14 to Fifteenth Street Northwest;

15 thence south on Fifteenth Street Northwest to

16 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest;

17 thence southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue

18 Northwest to Tenth Street Northwest;

19 thence north on Tenth Street Northwest to E

20 Street Northwest;

21 thence east on E Street Northwest to Ninth

22 Street Northwest;

23 thence south on Ninth Street Northwest to

24 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest;
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1 thence southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue

2 Northwest to John Marshall Place Northwest;

3 thence north on John Marshall Place Northwest

4 to C Street Northwest;

5 thence east on C Street Northwest to Third

6 Street Northwest;

7 thence north on Third Street Northwest to D

8 Street Northwest;

9 thence east on D Street Northwest to Second

10 Street Northwest;

11 thence south on Second Street Northwest to the

12 intersection of Constitution Avenue Northwest and

13 Louisiana Avenue Northwest;

14 thence northeast on Louisiana Avenue North15 west to North Capitol Street;

16 thence north on North Capitol Street to Massa17 chusetts Avenue Northwest;

18 thence southeast on Massachusetts Avenue

19 Northwest so as to encompass Union Square;

20 thence following Union Square to F Street

21 Northeast;

22 thence east on F Street Northeast to Second

23 Street Northeast;

24 thence south on Second Street Northeast to D

25 Street Northeast;
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1 thence west on D Street Northeast to First

2 Street Northeast;

3 thence south on First Street Northeast to C

4 Street Northeast;

5 thence east on C Street Northeast to Third

6 Street Northeast;

7 thence south on Third Street Northeast to

8 Maryland Avenue Northeast;

9 thence south and west on Maryland Avenue

10 Northeast to Constitution Avenue Northeast;

11 thence west on Constitution Avenue Northeast

12 to First Street Northeast;

13 thence south on First Street Northeast to

14 Maryland Avenue Northeast;

15 thence generally north and east on Maryland

16 Avenue to Second Street Northeast;

17 thence south on Second Street Northeast to

18 East Capitol Street;

19 thence east on East Capitol Street to Third

20 Street Northeast;

21 thence south on Third Street Northeast to

22 Independence Avenue Southeast;

23 thence west on Independence Avenue Southeast

24 to Second Street Southeast;
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1 thence south on Second Street Southeast to C

2 Street Southeast;

3 thence west on C Street Southeast to New Jer4 sey Avenue Southeast;

5 thence south on New Jersey Avenue Southeast

6 to D Street Southeast;

7 thence west on D Street Southeast to Washing8 ton Avenue Southwest;

9 thence north and west on Washington Avenue

10 Southwest to the intersection of Independence Ave11 nue Southwest and Second Street Southwest;

12 thence south on Second Street Southwest to

13 Virginia Avenue Southwest;

14 thence generally west on Virginia Avenue to

15 Third Street Southwest;

16 thence north on Third Street Southwest to C

17 Street Southwest;

18 thence west on C Street Southwest to Sixth

19 Street Southwest;

20 thence south on Sixth Street Southwest to E

21 Street Southwest;

22 thence west on E Street Southwest to Seventh

23 Street Southwest;

24 thence north on Seventh Street Southwest to

25 Maryland Avenue Southwest;
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1 thence west on Maryland Avenue Southwest to

2 Ninth Street Southwest;

3 thence north on Ninth Street Southwest to

4 Independence Avenue Southwest;

5 thence west on Independence Avenue Southwest

6 to Twelfth Street Southwest;

7 thence south on Twelfth Street Southwest to D

8 Street Southwest;

9 thence west on D Street Southwest to Four10 teenth Street Southwest;

11 thence south on Fourteenth Street Southwest to

12 the middle of the Washington Channel;

13 thence generally south and east along the

14 midchannel of the Washington Channel to a point

15 due west of the northern boundary line of Fort Les16 ley McNair;

17 thence due east to the side of the Washington

18 Channel;

19 thence following generally south and east along

20 the side of the Washington Channel at the mean

21 high water mark, to the point of confluence with the

22 Anacostia River, and along the northern shore at the

23 mean high water mark to the northernmost point of

24 the Eleventh Street Bridge;
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1 thence generally south and west along such

2 shore at the mean high water mark to the point of

3 confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers;

4 thence generally south and east along the

5 northern side of the Eleventh Street Bridge to the

6 eastern shore of the Anacostia River;

7 thence generally south along the eastern shore

8 at the mean high water mark of the Potomac River

9 to the point where it meets the present southeastern

10 boundary line of the District of Columbia;

11 thence south and west along such southeastern

12 boundary line to the point where it meets the

13 present Virginia-District of Columbia boundary;

14 thence generally north and west up the Poto15 mac River along the Virginia-District of Columbia

16 boundary to the point of beginning.

17 (b) STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.—The National Cap18 ital Service Area shall include any street (and sidewalk

19 thereof) that bounds such Area.

20 (c) AFFRONTING OR ABUTTING FEDERAL REAL

21 PROPERTY.—

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The National Capital Serv23 ice Area shall include any Federal real property af24 fronting or abutting such Area as of the effective

25 date of this Act.
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1 (2) PROPERTY INCLUDED.—For purposes of

2 paragraph (1), Federal real property affronting or

3 abutting the National Capital Service Area shall—

4 (A) include the Department of Housing

5 and Urban Development Building, the Depart6 ment of Energy Building, Fort Lesley McNair,

7 the Washington Navy Yard, the Anacostia

8 Naval Annex, the United States Naval Station,

9 Bolling Air Force Base, and the Naval Re10 search Laboratory; and

11 (B) not include any portion of Rock Creek

12 Park, any portion of Anacostia Park east of the

13 northern side of the Eleventh Street Bridge, or

14 any territory not located in the District of Co15 lumbia on the day before the date of the enact16 ment of this Act.

17 SEC. 5. TRANSITION PROVISIONS RELATING TO HOUSE OF

18 REPRESENTATIVES.

19 (a) TEMPORARY INCREASE IN APPORTIONMENT.—

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Until the taking effect of the

21 first reapportionment occurring after the effective

22 date of this Act—

23 (A) the individual serving as the Delegate

24 to the House of Representatives from the Dis25 trict of Columbia shall serve as a member of
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1 the House of Representatives from the State of

2 Maryland;

3 (B) the State of Maryland shall be entitled

4 to 1 additional Representative until the taking

5 effect of such reapportionment; and

6 (C) such Representative shall be in addi7 tion to the membership of the House of Rep8 resentatives as now prescribed by law.

9 (2) INCREASE NOT COUNTED AGAINST TOTAL

10 NUMBER OF MEMBERS.—The temporary increase in

11 the membership of the House of Representatives

12 provided under paragraph (1) shall not operate to ei13 ther increase or decrease the permanent membership

14 of the House of Representatives as prescribed in the

15 Act of August 8, 1911 (37 Stat. 13; 2 U.S.C. 2),

16 nor shall such temporary increase affect the basis of

17 reapportionment established by the Act of November

18 15, 1941 (55 Stat. 761; 2 U.S.C. 2a), for the 82nd

19 Congress and each Congress thereafter.

20 (b) REPEAL OF LAWS PROVIDING FOR DELEGATE

21 FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.—Sections 202 and

22 204 of the District of Columbia Delegate Act (Public Law

23 91–405; sections 1–401 and 1–402, D.C. Code) are re24 pealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by
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1 such sections are restored or revived as if such sections

2 had not been enacted.

3 SEC. 6. EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.

4 No law or regulation which is in force on the effective

5 date of this Act shall be deemed amended or repealed by

6 this Act except to the extent specifically provided in this

7 Act, or to the extent that such law or regulation is incon8 sistent with this Act.

9 SEC. 7. PROCLAMATION REGARDING ACCEPTANCE OF RET10 ROCESSION BY MARYLAND.

11 Not later than 30 days after the State of Maryland

12 enacts legislation accepting the retrocession described in

13 section 2(a), the President shall issue a proclamation an14 nouncing such acceptance and declaring that the territory

15 ceded to Congress by the State of Maryland to serve as

16 the District constituting the permanent seat of the Gov17 ernment of the United States has been ceded back to the

18 State of Maryland.

19 SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

20 The provisions of this Act and the amendments made

21 by this Act shall take effect on the date the President is22 sues a proclamation under section 7 or the date of the

23 ratification of an amendment to the Constitution of the

24 United States repealing the twenty-third article of amend25 ment to the Constitution, whichever comes later.
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