2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 1 - Government Organization › Chapter 2 - District of Columbia Home Rule › Subchapter VI - Reservation of Congressional Authority › § 1–206.04. Congressional action on certain District matters

§ 1–206.04. Congressional action on certain District matters.
(a) This section is enacted by Congress:
(1) As an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such these provisions are deemed a part of the rule of each House, respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of resolutions described by this section; and they supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) With full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rule (so far as relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.
(b) For the purpose of this section, “resolution” means only a joint resolution, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the . . . . . . . . . . approves/disapproves of the action of the District of Columbia Council described as follows: . . . . . . . . . .”, the blank spaces therein being appropriately filled, and either approval or disapproval being appropriately indicated; but does not include a resolution which specifies more than 1 action.
(c) A resolution with respect to Council action shall be referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia of the House of Representatives, or the Committee on the District of Columbia of the Senate, by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be.
(d) If the Committee to which a resolution has been referred has not reported it at the end of 20 calendar days after its introduction, it is in order to move to discharge the Committee from further consideration of any other resolution with respect to the same Council action which has been referred to the Committee.
(e) A motion to discharge may be made only by an individual favoring the resolution, is highly 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 1 hour, to be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the resolution. 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.
(f) 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.
(g) 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 disagreed to) to move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution. The motion is highly privileged and is not debatable. 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.
(h) Debate on the resolution shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the resolution. 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 the vote by which the resolution is agreed to or disagreed to.
(i) Motions to postpone made with respect to the discharge from Committee or the consideration of a resolution, and motions to proceed to the consideration of other business, shall be decided without debate.
(j) Appeals from the decisions of the chair relating to the application of the rules of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case may be, to the procedure relating to a resolution shall be decided without debate.
(Dec. 24, 1973, 87 Stat. 816, Pub. L. 93-198, title VI, § 604; Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 1975, Pub. L. 98-473, § 131(h).)
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 1-207.
1973 Ed., § 1-127.
Section References
This section is referenced in § 1-203.03 and § 1-206.02.
Editor's Notes
Fiscal year: See Historical and Statutory Notes following § 1-203.03.