by protestors in June of 1783, conduct that forced 
the adjournment of the Congress and the flight of 
its members into neighboring States. 
(6) James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 43, 
‘‘The indispensable necessity of compleat authority 
at the seat of Government carries its own evidence 
with it. It is a power exercised by every Legislature 
of the Union, I might say of the world, by virtue of 
its general supremacy. Without it, not only the pub-
lic authority might be insulted and its proceedings 
be interrupted, with impunity; but a dependence of 
the members of the general Government, on the 
State comprehending the seat of the Government for 
protection in the exercise of their duty, might bring 
on the national councils an imputation of awe or in-
fluence, equally dishonorable to the Government, and 
dissatisfactory to the other members of the confed-
eracy’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) Congress is the proper, constitutionally 
mandated sovereign over the District of Columbia 
and that increasing congressional oversight of the 
District is a wise course, in particular improving the 
disapproval mechanisms of the District of Columbia 
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Home Rule Act to ensure that poor municipal ordi-
nances made by the congressionally provided, and 
congressionally revocable authority provided to Dis-
trict’s municipal government can be expeditiously 
overturned by Congress; 
(2) the District of Columbia should never be-
come a State; and 
(3) statehood for the District of Columbia 
would require a constitutional amendment. 
SEC. 3. UNIFORM 60-DAY CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PERIOD 
FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LAWS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF 60-DAY PERIOD.—The sec-
ond sentence of section 602(c)(1) of the District of Colum-
bia Home Rule Act (sec. 1–206.02(c)(1), D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the 30-calendar-day period (ex-
cluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and any 
day on which neither House is in session because of 
an adjournment sine die, a recess of more than three 
days, or an adjournment of more than three days) 
beginning on the day such act is transmitted’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘the 60-day period (exclud-
ing days either House of Congress is adjourned for 
more than 3 days during a session of Congress) be-
ginning on the day such act is transmitted’’; and 
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(2) by striking ‘‘such 30-day period’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘such 60-day period’’. 
(b) ELIMINATION
OF ALTERNATIVE PERIOD
FOR 
ACTS AFFECTING CRIMINAL LAWS.—Section 602(c) of 
such Act (sec. 1–206.02(c), D.C. Official Code) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (2). 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZING USE OF RESOLUTIONS OF DIS-
APPROVAL TO DISAPPROVE PROVISIONS OF 
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LAWS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The second sentence of sec-
tion 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act 
(sec. 1–206.02(c)(1), D.C. Official Code) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘such act shall take effect’’ and 
inserting ‘‘such act and each provision thereof’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘a joint resolution disapproving 
such act’’ and inserting ‘‘a joint resolution dis-
approving such act or any provision thereof’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘disapproving such an act’’ and 
inserting ‘‘disapproving such an act or any provision 
thereof’’; and 
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lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(4) by striking ‘‘to have repealed such act’’ and 
inserting ‘‘to have repealed such act or such provi-
sion (as the case may be)’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO APPLI-
CATION
OF EXPEDITED PROCEDURES
FOR CONSIDER-
ATION OF RESOLUTIONS.—The third sentence of section 
602(c)(1) of such Act (sec. 1–206.02(c)(1), D.C. Official 
Code) is amended by striking ‘‘disapproving such act’’ and 
inserting ‘‘disapproving such act or any provision thereof’’. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Section 602(c)(1) of 
such Act (sec. 1–206.02(c)(1), D.C. Official Code) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
‘‘The enactment of a resolution disapproving a provision 
of an act pursuant to this paragraph may not be construed 
to repeal any of the remaining provisions of the act.’’. 
SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION OF EXPEDITED PROCEDURES AP-
PLICABLE TO CONSIDERATION OF RESOLU-
TIONS OF DISAPPROVAL. 
(a) APPLICATION OF ALL PROCEDURES TO ALL RES-
OLUTIONS OF DISAPPROVAL.—The third sentence of sec-
tion 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act 
(sec. 1–206.02(c)(1), D.C. Official Code) is amended by 
striking ‘‘section 604, except subsections (d), (e), and (f) 
of such section,’’ and inserting ‘‘section 604’’. 
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(b) CLARIFICATION OF PROCEDURES.—Section 604 
of such Act (sec. 1–206.04, D.C. Official Code) is amend-
ed by striking subsections (c) through (j) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(c) REFERRAL TO COMMITTEES.—A resolution with 
respect to Council action shall be referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Rep-
resentatives, or the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate, by the President of 
the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, as the case may be. 
‘‘(d) PROCEDURES
IN HOUSE
OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES.—(1) In the House of Representatives, if the com-
mittee to which a resolution has been referred has not re-
ported it at the end of twenty calendar days after its intro-
duction, it is in order to move to discharge the committee 
from further consideration of any other resolution with re-
spect to the same Council action which has been referred 
to the committee. 
‘‘(2) In the House, a motion to discharge may be 
made only by an individual favoring the resolution, is high-
ly privileged (except that it may not be made after the 
committee has reported a resolution with respect to the 
same action), and debate thereon shall be limited to not 
more than one hour, to be divided equally between those 
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favoring and those opposing the resolution. An amend-
ment to the motion is not in order, and it is not in order 
to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is 
agreed to or disagreed to. 
‘‘(3) In the House, if the motion to discharge is 
agreed to or disagreed to, the motion may not be renewed, 
nor may another motion to discharge the committee be 
made with respect to any other resolution with respect to 
the same action. 
‘‘(4) In the House, when the committee has reported, 
or has been discharged from further consideration of, a 
resolution, it is at any time thereafter in order (even 
though a previous motion to the same effect has been dis-
agreed to) to move to proceed to the consideration of the 
resolution. The motion is highly privileged and is not de-
batable. An amendment to the motion is not in order, and 
it is not in order to move to reconsider the vote by which 
the motion is agreed to or disagreed to. 
‘‘(5) In the House, debate on the resolution shall be 
limited to not more than ten hours, which shall be divided 
equally between those favoring and those opposing the res-
olution. A motion further to limit debate is not debatable. 
An amendment to, or motion to recommit, the resolution 
is not in order, and it is not in order to move to reconsider 
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the vote by which the resolution is agreed to or disagreed 
to. 
‘‘(6) In the House, motions to postpone made with 
respect to the discharge from committee or the consider-
ation of a resolution, and motions to proceed to the consid-
eration of other business, shall be decided without debate. 
‘‘(7) In the House, appeals from the decisions of the 
Chair relating to the application of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives to the procedure relating to a resolu-
tion shall be decided without debate. 
‘‘(e) PROCEDURES IN SENATE.—(1) In the Senate, 
if the committee to which is referred a resolution described 
in subsection (b) has not reported such joint resolution 
(or an identical joint resolution) at the end of 20 calendar 
days after its introduction, such committee may be dis-
charged from further consideration of such joint resolution 
upon a written demand by any Member of the Senate, and 
such joint resolution shall be placed on the calendar. 
‘‘(2)(A) In the Senate, when the committee to which 
a resolution is referred has reported, or when a committee 
is discharged (under paragraph (1)) from further consid-
eration of a resolution described in subsection (b), it is 
at any time thereafter in order (even though a previous 
motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) for a 
motion to proceed to the consideration of the resolution, 
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and all points of order against the resolution (and against 
consideration of the resolution) are waived. The motion 
is not subject to amendment, or to a motion to postpone, 
or to a motion to proceed to the consideration of other 
business. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the 
motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order. 
If a motion to proceed to the consideration of the resolu-
tion is agreed to, the resolution shall remain the unfin-
ished business of the Senate until disposed of. 
‘‘(B) In the Senate, debate on the resolution, and on 
all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, 
shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall 
be divided equally between those favoring and those oppos-
ing the resolution. A motion further to limit debate is in 
order and not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion 
to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration 
of other business, or a motion to recommit the resolution 
is not in order. 
‘‘(C) In the Senate, immediately following the conclu-
sion of the debate on a resolution described in subsection 
(b), and a single quorum call at the conclusion of the de-
bate if requested in accordance with the rules of the Sen-
ate, the vote on final passage of the resolution shall occur. 
‘‘(D) Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating 
to the application of the rules of the Senate to the proce-
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dure relating to a resolution described in subsection (a) 
shall be decided without debate. 
‘‘(3) In the Senate the procedure specified in para-
graph (1) or (2) shall not apply to the consideration of 
a resolution after the expiration of the 60 session days 
beginning with the date of the introduction of the joint 
resolution. 
‘‘(f) COORDINATION BETWEEN HOUSES.—If, before 
the passage by one House of a resolution of that House 
described in subsection (b), that House receives from the 
other House a resolution described in subsection (b), then 
the following procedures shall apply: 
‘‘(1) The resolution of the other House shall 
not be referred to a committee. 
‘‘(2) Any Member of that House may at any 
time offer a motion to proceed to the consideration 
of the resolution of the other House, and such mo-
tion shall be considered in accordance with para-
graph (4) of subsection (d) (in the case of a motion 
in the House) or in accordance with paragraph (2) 
of subsection (e) (in the case of a motion in the Sen-
ate). 
‘‘(3) With respect to a resolution described in 
subsection (a) of the House receiving the resolu-
tion— 
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‘‘(A) the procedure in that House shall be 
the same as if no resolution had been received 
from the other House; but 
‘‘(B) the vote on final passage shall be on 
the resolution of the other House.’’. 
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 
apply with respect to acts of the District of Columbia 
which are transmitted to Congress by the Council of the 
District of Columbia under section 602(c) of the District 
of Columbia Home Rule Act on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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