I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8861 
To provide for expanded home rule for the residents of the District of 
Columbia, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 
Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and 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 provide for expanded home rule for the residents of 
the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘District of Columbia Home Rule Expansion Act of 
2022’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
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TITLE I—LEGISLATIVE HOME RULE 
Sec. 101. Short title; references in title. 
Sec. 102. Elimination of Congressional review period for District of Columbia 
acts. 
Sec. 103. Effective date. 
TITLE II—CRIMINAL JUSTICE HOME RULE 
Subtitle A—Prosecutor Home Rule 
Sec. 201. Short title. 
Sec. 202. Responsibility of local prosecutor’s office for conduct of all District 
of Columbia prosecutions. 
Subtitle B—Clemency Home Rule 
Sec. 211. Short title. 
Sec. 212. Authority to grant clemency for crimes under laws of the District of 
Columbia. 
TITLE I—LEGISLATIVE HOME 
RULE 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN TITLE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This title may be cited as the 
‘‘District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act’’. 
(b) REFERENCES IN ACT.—Except as may otherwise 
be provided, whenever in this title an amendment is ex-
pressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section 
or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be 
made to that section or other provision of the District of 
Columbia Home Rule Act. 
SEC. 102. ELIMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PE-
RIOD FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ACTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 602 (sec. 1–206.02, D.C. 
Official Code) is amended by striking subsection (c). 
(b) 
CONGRESSIONAL
RESOLUTIONS
OF
DIS-
APPROVAL.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 604 (sec. 1–206.04, 
D.C. Official Code) is repealed. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents is amended by striking the item relating to sec-
tion 604. 
(3) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWER.—This 
subsection and the amendments made by this sub-
section are enacted by Congress— 
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power 
of the House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate, respectively, and as such they shall be con-
sidered as a part of the rules of each House, re-
spectively, or of that House to which they spe-
cifically apply, and such rules shall supersede 
other rules only to the extent that they are in-
consistent therewith; and 
(B) with full recognition of the constitu-
tional right of either House to change such 
rules (so far as relating to such House) at any 
time, in the same manner, and to the same ex-
tent as in the case of any other rule of such 
House. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
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(1) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOME RULE ACT.— 
(A) Section 303 (sec. 1–203.03, D.C. Official Code) 
is amended— 
(i) in subsection (a), by striking the second 
sentence; and 
(ii) by striking subsection (b) and redesig-
nating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
(b) and (c). 
(B) Section 404 (sec. 1–204.04, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended by striking ‘‘subject to the provi-
sions of section 602(c)’’ each place it appears in sub-
sections (e) and (f). 
(C) Section 446 (sec. 1–204.46, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(i) in subsection (a), by striking the third 
sentence; and 
(ii) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c), by 
striking ‘‘and such act has been transmitted by 
the Chairman to the Congress and has com-
pleted 
the 
review 
process 
under 
section 
602(c)(3)’’. 
(D) Section 462 (sec. 1–204.62, D.C. Official 
Code) is amended— 
(i) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(a) The 
Council’’ and inserting ‘‘The Council’’; and 
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(ii) by striking subsections (b) and (c). 
(E) Section 472(d)(1) (sec. 1–204.72(d)(1), 
D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘Not-
withstanding section 602(c)(1), any act of the Coun-
cil’’ and inserting ‘‘Any act of the Council’’. 
(F) Section 475(e)(1) (sec. 1–204.75(e)(1), 
D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘Not-
withstanding section 602(c)(1), any act of the Coun-
cil’’ and inserting ‘‘Any act of the Council’’. 
(2) OTHER
LAWS.—(A) Section 2(b)(1) of 
Amendment No. 1 (relating to initiative and ref-
erendum) to title IV (the District Charter) (sec. 1– 
204.102(b)(1), D.C. Official Code) is amended by 
striking ‘‘the appropriate custodian’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘portion of such act to’’. 
(B) Section 5 of Amendment No. 1 (relating to 
initiative and referendum) to title IV (the District 
Charter) (sec. 1–204.105, D.C. Official Code) is 
amended by striking ‘‘, and such act’’ and all that 
follows and inserting a period. 
SEC. 103. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this title shall apply with 
respect to each act of the District of Columbia— 
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(1) passed by the Council of the District of Co-
lumbia and signed by the Mayor of the District of 
Columbia; 
(2) vetoed by the Mayor and repassed by the 
Council; 
(3) passed by the Council and allowed to be-
come effective by the Mayor without the Mayor’s sig-
nature; or 
(4) in the case of initiated acts and acts subject 
to referendum, ratified by a majority of the reg-
istered qualified electors voting on the initiative or 
referendum, 
on or after the first day of the One Hundred Eighteenth 
Congress. 
TITLE II—CRIMINAL JUSTICE 
HOME RULE 
Subtitle A—Prosecutor Home Rule 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘District of Colum-
bia Prosecutor Home Rule Act’’. 
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SEC. 202. RESPONSIBILITY OF LOCAL PROSECUTOR’S OF-
FICE FOR CONDUCT OF ALL DISTRICT OF CO-
LUMBIA PROSECUTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 23–101, D.C. Official 
Code, is amended by striking subsections (a) through (f) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) Prosecutions for violations of all police or munic-
ipal ordinances or regulations of the District of Columbia 
and for violations of all penal statutes of the District of 
Columbia in the nature of police or municipal regulations 
shall be conducted in the name of the District of Columbia 
by the head of the local prosecutor’s office or the assist-
ants of the head of such office, except as may otherwise 
be provided in any such ordinance, regulation, or statute 
of the District of Columbia. 
‘‘(b) In this section, the ‘local prosecutor’s office’ is 
the office designated under local law of the District of Co-
lumbia as the office responsible for conducting prosecu-
tions under this section. 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this section shall affect the authority 
of the Attorney General of the United States or the United 
States Attorney for the District of Columbia to exercise 
jurisdiction concerning violations of the laws of the United 
States.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply with respect to violations of Dis-
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trict of Columbia ordinances, regulations, and statutes 
which occur after the expiration of the 1-year period which 
begins on the date on which a local law of the District 
of Columbia which designates the local prosecutor’s office 
for purposes of section 23–101(b), D.C. Official Code (as 
amended by subsection (a)), takes effect. 
(c) RETENTION OF FEDERAL BENEFITS BY CON-
TINUING EMPLOYEES.—With respect to any individual 
who is an employee of the United States Attorney for the 
District of Columbia as of the day before the date de-
scribed in subsection (b) and continues to be employed by 
the local prosecutor’s office designated for purposes of sec-
tion 23–101(b), D.C. Official Code (as amended by sub-
section (a))— 
(1) such individual shall continue to be treated 
as an employee of the Federal Government for pur-
poses of receiving benefits under any chapter of sub-
part G of part III of title 5, United States Code; 
and 
(2) such designated local prosecutor’s office 
shall be treated as the employing agency of the indi-
vidual with respect to such benefits. 
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Subtitle B—Clemency Home Rule 
SEC. 211. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘District of Colum-
bia Clemency Home Rule Act’’. 
SEC. 212. AUTHORITY TO GRANT CLEMENCY FOR CRIMES 
UNDER LAWS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUM-
BIA. 
(a) AUTHORITY DESCRIBED.—The authority to grant 
clemency for crimes under the laws of the District of Co-
lumbia shall be exercised by such person or persons, and 
under such terms and conditions, as may be provided 
under law enacted by the District of Columbia. 
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
title may be construed— 
(1) to affect any authority exercised by the 
President or the Mayor of the District of Columbia 
prior to the effective date of any law enacted by the 
District of Columbia pursuant to this Act with re-
spect to the authority to grant clemency for crimes 
under the laws of the District of Columbia; or 
(2) to limit the authority described in sub-
section (a) from being exercised with respect to 
crimes committed before, on, or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
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(c) CLEMENCY DEFINED.—In this subtitle, the term 
‘‘clemency’’ means a pardon, reprieve, or commutation of 
sentence, or a remission of a fine or other financial pen-
alty. 
Æ 
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