I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3633 

To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to make local funds 

of the District of Columbia available for use by the District during 

any portion of a fiscal year in which no Federal law appropriating 

local funds for the fiscal year is in effect, at the rates of operation 

provided under the local budget act for the fiscal year, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to make 

local funds of the District of Columbia available for 

use by the District during any portion of a fiscal year 

in which no Federal law appropriating local funds for 

the fiscal year is in effect, at the rates of operation 

provided under the local budget act for the fiscal year, 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Government Shutdown Avoidance Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL 

5 FUNDS IN ABSENCE OF FEDERAL LAW AP6 PROPRIATING LOCAL FUNDS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 1 of part D of title IV 

8 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act is amended 

9 by inserting after section 446B the following new section: 

10 ‘‘AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL FUNDS IN ABSENCE OF

11 FEDERAL LAW

12 ‘‘SEC. 446C. (a) AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL FUNDS AT

13 RATE ESTABLISHED BY LOCAL LAW IN ABSENCE OF

14 FEDERAL LAW APPROPRIATING LOCAL FUNDS.—Not15 withstanding any other provision of this Act, during any 

16 portion of a fiscal year in which neither the regular Dis17 trict of Columbia appropriation bill for the fiscal year nor 

18 a District of Columbia continuing resolution for the fiscal 

19 year is in effect, the District of Columbia may obligate 

20 and expend local funds for projects and activities in ac21 cordance with the local budget act for the fiscal year at 

22 the rate of operations provided under such local budget 

23 act. 

24 ‘‘(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The obligation and 

25 expenditure of local funds for a project or activity during 

26 a fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be subject to 


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1 the terms and conditions imposed with respect to the obli2 gation and expenditure of local funds for the project or 

3 activity during the preceding fiscal year, or the authority 

4 granted for such project or activity under the applicable 

5 law in effect at the time. 

6 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

7 ‘‘(1) the term ‘District of Columbia continuing 

8 resolution’ means, with respect to a fiscal year, any 

9 joint resolution making continuing appropriations 

10 for the fiscal year which includes continuing appro11 priations for the government of the District of Co12 lumbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in 

13 part against the revenues of the District; 

14 ‘‘(2) the term ‘local budget act’ means, with re15 spect to a fiscal year, the act of the Council adopt16 ing the annual budget for the District of Columbia 

17 government for such fiscal year, as enacted pursuant 

18 to this Act; and 

19 ‘‘(3) the term ‘regular District of Columbia ap20 propriation bill’ means, with respect to a fiscal year, 

21 an annual appropriation bill making appropriations, 

22 otherwise making funds available, or granting au23 thority, for the fiscal year for the government of the 

24 District of Columbia and other activities chargeable 


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1 in whole or in part against the revenues of the Dis2 trict. 

3 ‘‘(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

4 with respect to fiscal year 2017 and each succeeding fiscal 

5 year.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 446 of 

7 such Act (sec. 1–204.46, D.C. Official Code) is amended 

8 by inserting ‘‘section 446C,’’ after ‘‘section 446B,’’. 

9 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

10 of subpart 1 of part D of title IV of the District of Colum11 bia Home Rule Act is amended by inserting after the item 

12 relating to section 446B the following: 

‘‘446C. Availability of local funds in absence of Federal law.’’. 

Æ 


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