    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 119th Congress]
    [119th Congress]
    [House Document 118-187]
    [Legislate Procedures Enacted in Law]
    [Pages 1175-1179]
    [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    expiration of such 35-day period, shall be deemed to have repealed such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 1176]]

    dent 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 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 Presi

    [[Page 1177]]

    resolutions, shall apply to a joint resolution disapproving such Act as
    specified in this paragraph.
      (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

      (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.

    [[Page 1178]]

      (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.

      (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.

    [[Page 1179]]

    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).
      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

      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 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, pp. 6002-04). 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).

                                                               Sec. 1130(6A)