[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 115th Congress]
[115th Congress]
[House Document 114-192]
[Legislate Procedures Enacted in Law]
[Pages 1158-1162]
[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expiration of such 35-day period, shall be deemed to have repealed such 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 1159]]

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have repealed such act, as of the date such resolution becomes law.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 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

  (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.


[[Page 1160]]

  (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 1161]]

  (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 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.

  (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.

  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 the resolution, if not reported during that time 
(Oct. 1, 1981, p. 22752; Oct. 14, 1987, p. 27847).


[[Page 1162]]

being privileged when reported by that committee (Speaker Albert, Sept. 
22, 1976, pp. 31873-74). The House has provided that section 604(g) not 
apply to a specified joint resolution of disapproval (not affecting the 
D.C. Criminal Code) and instead provided for its separate consideration 
by special order of business (Apr. 30, 2015, p. _). 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. 37303).
  In response to a parliamentary inquiry, the Chair advised that 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




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