District of Columbia Home Rule Improvement Act

Key Points

• This bill doubles the time Congress has to review D.C. laws before they take effect, changing the review window from 30 days to 60 days. This longer period gives federal lawmakers more opportunity to block local legislation passed by the D.C. Council.
• Congress gains the power to reject specific parts of D.C. laws instead of having to block an entire law. This means Congress could surgically remove individual provisions it disagrees with while letting the rest of a law stand.
• For the first time, the D.C. Mayor's executive orders and city regulations would also face a 60-day congressional review period before they can take effect. Congress could pass a resolution to block any executive order or regulation it disapproves of.
• The D.C. Council would no longer be able to use emergency laws as a workaround to avoid congressional review. If the Council passes an emergency law, any extension or substantially similar follow-up law must go through the full 60-day review.
• The bill bans the D.C. Council from re-passing a law that Congress has already blocked, unless Congress specifically gives permission. It also stops the Council from pulling back a law already sent to Congress for review.
• The Mayor and the Chair of the D.C. Council would be required to appear before congressional committees at least once per year to report on the state of the District and make recommendations.