I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1196 

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

of the District of Columbia for a fiscal year available for use by the 

District at the beginning of the fiscal year at the rate of operations 

provided under the local budget act for the fiscal year if the regular 

District of Columbia appropriation bill for a fiscal year does not become 

law prior to the beginning of such fiscal year. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2013 

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 for a fiscal year 

available for use by the District at the beginning of 

the fiscal year at the rate of operations provided under 

the local budget act for the fiscal year if the regular 

District of Columbia appropriation bill for a fiscal year 

does not become law prior to the beginning of such 

fiscal year. 

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 Local Funds Continuation Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL 

5 FUNDS UPON FAILURE BY CONGRESS TO 

6 ENACT LOCAL BUDGET. 

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 UPON FAILURE BY

11 CONGRESS TO ENACT BUDGET

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

13 RATE ESTABLISHED BY LOCAL LAW IF NO BUDGET EN14 ACTED PRIOR TO BEGINNING OF FISCAL YEAR.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the regular District of 

16 Columbia appropriation bill for a fiscal year does not 

17 become law prior to the beginning of such fiscal 

18 year, there is appropriated, out of any moneys of the 

19 government of the District of Columbia not other20 wise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or 

21 other revenues, receipts, and funds, the amount pro22 vided for any project or activity for which funds are 

23 provided in the local budget act for such fiscal year. 

24 ‘‘(2) RATE OF FUNDING.—An appropriation 

25 and funds made available or authority granted for a 

26 project or activity for a fiscal year pursuant to this 


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1 section shall be at the rate of operations provided 

2 for such project or activity under the local budget 

3 act for such fiscal year. 

4 ‘‘(3) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—An appropria5 tion and funds made available or authority granted 

6 for a project or activity for a fiscal year pursuant to 

7 this section shall be available for the period— 

8 ‘‘(A) beginning with the first day of the 

9 fiscal year; and 

10 ‘‘(B) ending with the date on which the 

11 regular District of Columbia appropriation bill 

12 for such fiscal year becomes law. 

13 ‘‘(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—An appropriation 

14 and funds made available or authority granted for a 

15 project or activity for a fiscal year pursuant to this section 

16 shall be subject to the terms and conditions imposed with 

17 respect to the appropriation made and funds made avail18 able for the preceding fiscal year, or the authority granted 

19 for such project or activity under the applicable law in ef20 fect at the time. 

21 ‘‘(c) PERIOD OF COVERAGE.—An appropriation and 

22 funds made available or authority granted for a project 

23 or activity for a fiscal year pursuant to this section shall 

24 cover all obligations or expenditures incurred for such 


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1 project or activity during the portion of such fiscal year 

2 for which this section applies to such project or activity. 

3 ‘‘(d) RESTRICTIONS ON PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES

4 SUBJECT TO OTHER APPROPRIATIONS ACTS.—This sec5 tion shall not apply to a project or activity during any 

6 period of a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other 

7 than an authorization of appropriations)— 

8 ‘‘(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds 

9 available, or grants authority for such project or ac10 tivity to continue for such period, or 

11 ‘‘(2) specifically provides that no appropriation 

12 shall be made, no funds shall be made available, or 

13 no authority shall be granted for such project or ac14 tivity to continue for such period. 

15 ‘‘(e) PROTECTION OF OTHER OBLIGATIONS.—Noth16 ing in this section shall be construed to effect obligations 

17 of the government of the District of Columbia mandated 

18 by other law. 

19 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

20 ‘‘(1) the term ‘local budget act’ means, with re21 spect to a fiscal year, the act of the Council adopt22 ing the annual budget for the District of Columbia 

23 government for such fiscal year, as submitted by the 

24 Mayor to the President for transmission to Congress 

25 pursuant to section 446; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) the term ‘regular District of Columbia ap2 propriation bill’ means an annual appropriation bill 

3 making appropriations, otherwise making funds 

4 available, or granting authority, for the government 

5 of the District of Columbia and other activities 

6 chargeable in whole or in part against the revenues 

7 of the District. 

8 ‘‘(g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

9 with respect to fiscal year 2014 and each succeeding fiscal 

10 year.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 446 of 

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

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

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

15 of subpart 1 of part D of title IV of the District of Colum16 bia Home Rule Act is amended by inserting after the item 

17 relating to section 446B the following: 

‘‘446C. Availability of local funds upon failure by Congress to enact budget.’’. 

Æ 


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