I 

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. 

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 Legislative Home Rule 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 


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

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

3 Columbia Home Rule Act. 

4 SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PERIOD 

5 FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ACTS. 

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

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

8 (b) CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTIONS OF DIS9 APPROVAL.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 604 (sec. 1–206.04, 

11 D.C. Official Code) is repealed. 

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) is amended by striking ‘‘subject to the provi18 sions of section 602(c)’’ each place it appears in sub19 sections (e) and (f). 

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

21 Code) is amended— 

22 (i) in subsection (a), by striking the third 

23 sentence; and 

24 (ii) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c), by 

25 striking ‘‘and such act has been transmitted by 


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1 the Chairman to the Congress and has com2 pleted the review process under section 

3 602(c)(3)’’. 

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

5 Code) is amended— 

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

7 Council’’ and inserting ‘‘The Council’’; and 

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

9 (E) Section 472(d)(1) (sec. 1–204.72(d)(1), 

10 D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘Not11 withstanding section 602(c)(1), any act of the Coun12 cil’’ and inserting ‘‘Any act of the Council’’. 

13 (F) Section 475(e)(1) (sec. 1–204.75(e)(1), 

14 D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘Not15 withstanding section 602(c)(1), any act of the Coun16 cil’’ and inserting ‘‘Any act of the Council’’. 

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

18 Amendment No. 1 (relating to initiative and ref19 erendum) to title IV (the District Charter) (sec. 1– 

20 204.102(b)(1), D.C. Official Code) is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘the appropriate custodian’’ and all that fol22 lows through ‘‘portion of such act to’’. 

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

24 initiative and referendum) to title IV (the District 

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


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

2 follows and inserting a period. 

3 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

4 The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 

5 respect to each act of the District of Columbia— 

6 (1) passed by the Council of the District of Co7 lumbia and signed by the Mayor of the District of 

8 Columbia; 

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

10 Council; 

11 (3) passed by the Council and allowed to be12 come effective by the Mayor without the Mayor’s sig13 nature; or 

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

15 to referendum, ratified by a majority of the reg16 istered qualified electors voting on the initiative or 

17 referendum, 

18 on or after the first day of the One Hundred Nineteenth 

19 Congress. 

Æ 


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