I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 960 
To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to eliminate Congressional 
review of newly-passed District laws. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2009 
Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 Columbia Home Rule Act to 
eliminate Congressional review of newly-passed District laws. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN ACT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘District of Columbia Legislative Autonomy Act of 2009’’. 
(b) REFERENCES IN ACT.—Except as may otherwise 
be provided, whenever in this Act 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 
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made to that section or other provision of the District of 
Columbia Home Rule Act. 
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF 
NEWLY-PASSED DISTRICT LAWS. 
(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.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The District of Columbia 
Home Rule Act is amended by striking section 604 
(sec. 1–206.04, D.C. Official Code). 
(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 
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(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.— 
(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(e) (sec. 1–204.04(3), D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended by striking ‘‘subject to the 
provisions of section 602(c)’’ each place it appears. 
(C) 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 
(ii) by striking subsections (b) and (c). 
(D) Section 472(d) (sec. 1–204.72(d), D.C. Of-
ficial Code) is amended to read as follows: 
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(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 October 1, 2009. 
Æ 
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