    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 113th Congress]
    [113rd Congress]
    [House Document 112-161]
    [Legislate Procedures Enacted in Law]
    [Pages 1134-1138]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

      5. District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Sec. Sec. 303(b), 602(c), 604

      Sec. 303. * * * (b) An amendment to the charter ratified by the
    registered electors shall take effect upon the expiration of the 35-
    calendar-day period (excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays, and days on
    which either House of Congress is not in session) following the date
    such amendment was submitted to the Congress, or upon the date
    prescribed by such amendment, whichever is later, unless during such 35-
    day period, there has been enacted into law a joint resolution, in
    accordance with the procedures specified in section 604 of this Act,
    disapproving such amendment. In any case in which any such joint
    resolution disapproving such an amendment has, within such 35-day
    period, passed both Houses of Congress and has been transmitted to the
    President, such resolution, upon becoming law subsequent to the
    expiration of such 35-day period, shall be deemed to have repealed such
    amendment, as of the date such resolution becomes law.

    [[Page 1135]]

    repassed by two-thirds of the Council present and voting, each act
    passed by the Council and allowed to become effective by the Mayor
    without his signature, and each initiated act and act subject to
    referendum which has been ratified by a majority of the registered
    qualified electors voting on the initiative or referendum. Except as
    provided in paragraph (2), such act shall take effect upon the
    expiration of the 30-calendar-day period (excluding 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 by the Chairman to the Speaker of the House of
    Representatives and the President of the Senate, or upon the date
    prescribed by such act, whichever is later, unless during such 30-day
    period, there has been enacted into law a joint resolution disapproving
    such act. In any case in which any such joint resolution disapproving
    such an act has, within such 30-day period, passed both Houses of
    Congress and has been transmitted to the President, such resolution,
    upon becoming law, subsequent to the expiration of such 30-day period,
    shall be deemed to have repealed such act, as of the date such
    resolution becomes law. The provisions of section 604, except
    subsections (d), (e), and (f) of such section, shall apply with respect
    to any joint resolution disapproving any act pursuant to this paragraph.
      Sec. 602. * * * (c)(1) Except acts of the Council which are submitted
    to the President in accordance with the Budget and Accounting Act, 1921,
    any act which the Council determines according to section 412(a), should
    take effect immediately because of emergency circumstances, and acts
    proposing amendments to title IV of this Act, and except as provided in
    section 462(c) and section 472(d)(1) [relative to borrowing in
    anticipation of revenues], the Chairman of the Council shall transmit to
    the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the
    Senate a copy of each act passed by the Council and signed by the Mayor,
    or vetoed by the Mayor and

    [[Page 1136]]

      (2) In the case of any such Act transmitted by the Chairman with
    respect to any Act codified in title 22, 23, or 24 of the District of
    Columbia Code, such act shall take effect at the end of the 60-day
    period beginning on the day such act is transmitted by the Chairman to
    the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the
    Senate unless, during such 60-day period, there has been enacted into
    law a joint resolution disapproving such act. In any case in which any
    such joint resolution disapproving such an act has, within such 60-day
    period, passed both Houses of Congress and has been transmitted to the
    President, such resolution, upon becoming law subsequent to the
    expiration of such 60-day period shall be deemed to have repealed such
    act, as of the date such resolution becomes law. The provisions of
    section 604, relating to an expedited procedure for consideration of
    joint resolutions, shall apply to a joint resolution disapproving such
    Act as specified in this paragraph.

      (3) The Council shall submit with each Act transmitted under this
    subsection an estimate of the costs which will be incurred by the
    District of Columbia as a result of the enactment of the Act in each of
    the first 4 fiscal years for which the Act is in effect, together with a
    statement of the basis for such estimate.

                congressional action on certain district matters

      Sec. 604. (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 one action.

      (c) A resolution with respect to Council action shall be referred to
    the Committee on Government Reform 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 twenty 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.

    [[Page 1137]]

    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 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.
      (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

      (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 ten
    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.

    [[Page 1138]]

    the resolution, if not reported during that time (Oct. 1, 1981, p.
    22752; Oct. 14, 1987, p. 27847).
      It is not in order to offer as privileged a motion to discharge the
    Committee on the District of Columbia (now Oversight and Government
    Reform) from a simple (now joint) resolution disapproving an act passed
    by the D.C. City Council before the time that the Council was vested
    with the authority to pass the category of act to which the simple
    resolution disapproval procedure applies (Speaker Albert, Sept. 22,
    1976, pp. 31873-74). The D.C. City Council subsequently having been
    vested with that authority, a motion to discharge the Committee on the
    District of Columbia (now Oversight and Government Reform) from further
    consideration of a (joint) resolution disapproving an act of the Council
    amending the D.C. Criminal Code is privileged after 20 calendar days
    from introduction of

      Section 604 does not provide a privileged motion to discharge the
    Committee on the District of Columbia (now Oversight and Government
    Reform) from a concurrent (now joint) resolution disapproving acts of
    the D.C. City Council not affecting the D.C. Criminal Code, such
    concurrent resolutions only being privileged when reported by that
    committee (Speaker Albert, Sept. 22, 1976, pp. 31873-74). Under section
    604(h), debate on a concurrent (now joint) resolution of disapproval can
    be limited by motion, but otherwise extends not to exceed 10 hours; a
    concurrent (now joint) resolution disapproving an action of the D.C.
    Council that does not affect the U.S. Treasury is considered in the
    House (Dec. 20, 1979, p. 7303).

                                                               Sec. 1130(6A)