District of Columbia Home Rule Act

District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act

Other short titles	District of Columbia Home Rule Act
Long title	To 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 by	the 93rd United States Congress
Citations
Public law	Pub. L. 93–198
Statutes at Large	87 Stat. 774
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as S.1435 by Thomas Eagleton (D–MO) 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.

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]

• lend public credit for private projects;
• impose a tax on individuals who work in the District but live elsewhere;
• make any changes to the Heights of Buildings Act of 1910;
• pass any law changing the composition or jurisdiction of the local courts;
• enact a local budget that is not balanced; and
• gain any additional authority over the National Capital Planning Commission, Washington Aqueduct, or District of Columbia National Guard.