District of Columbia Home Rule Act

District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act
Great Seal of the United States
Other short titlesDistrict of Columbia Home Rule Act
Long titleTo reorganize the governmental structure of the District of Columbia, to provide a charter for local government in the District of Columbia subject to acceptance by a majority of the registered qualified electors in the District of Columbia, to delegate certain legislative powers to the local government, to implement certain recommendations of the Commission on the Organization of the Government of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Enacted bythe 93rd United States Congress
Citations
Public lawPub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 93–198
Statutes at Large87 Stat. 774
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S.1435 by Thomas Eagleton (DMO) on April 2, 1973
  • Committee consideration by Senate Committee on the District of Columbia
  • Passed the Senate on July 10, 1973 (69-17)
  • Passed the House on October 10, 1973 (Voice vote)
  • Reported by the joint conference committee on December 6, 1973; agreed to by the House on December 17, 1973 (272-74) and by the Senate on December 19, 1973 (77-13)
  • Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 24, 1973

The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973, which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule. In particular, it includes the District Charter (also called the Home Rule Charter), which provides for an elected mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia. The council is composed of a chair elected at large and twelve members, four of whom are elected at large, and one from each of the District's eight wards. Council members are elected to four-year terms.

Pin-back badge in support of the Home Rule Charter, 1974.

Under the "Home Rule" government, Congress reviews all legislation passed by the council before it can become law and retains authority over the District's budget. Also, the President appoints the District's judges, and the District still has no voting representation in Congress. Because of these and other limitations on local government, many citizens of the District continue to lobby for greater autonomy, such as complete statehood.

The Home Rule Act specifically prohibits the council from enacting certain laws that, among other restrictions, would:[1]

  1. ^ "Title VI: Reservation of Congressional Authority". District of Columbia Home Rule Act. Retrieved March 3, 2012.

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