Introduction of the District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act, which would eliminate the congressional review period for legislation passed by the D.C. Council. D.C. legislation takes effect after a congressional review period, unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted into law during the review period. The review period imposes significant costs on both D.C. and Congress, but only four disapproval resolutions on D.C. legislation have been enacted since passage of the D.C. Home Rule Act in 1973.

Congress loses nothing by eliminating the review period. Congress can legislate on any D.C. matter at any time, and has done so many times outside of the review period, such as through the appropriations process.

The congressional review period (30 days for civil bills and 60 days for criminal bills) is based on legislative days, not calendar days, often delaying D.C. bills from becoming law for many months. The D.C. Council has had to develop a Kafkaesque legislative process to comply with the review period. The review period forces the D.C. Council to pass most bills several times, using a cumbersome and complicated process to ensure that the operations of this large city continue uninterrupted.

Placing a congressional hold on D.C. bills has not only proven unnecessary, but has imposed costs on the D.C. government, residents and businesses. It is particularly unfair to require the D.C. Council to engage in this unnecessary, labor-intensive and costly process. D.C. residents and businesses are also placed on hold because they have no certainty when D.C. bills, from taxes to regulations, will take effect, making it difficult to plan.

In the 117th Congress, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform passed this bill as part of my District of Columbia Home Rule Expansion Act of 2022.

I urge my colleagues to support this good-government measure.

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