District of Columbia Home Rule Improvement Act of 2026

This bill would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to change how Congress oversees laws passed by Washington D.C.'s local government. Currently, Congress has 30 days to review and potentially reject D.C. laws; this bill would extend that period to 60 days. The bill would also clarify and streamline the procedures Congress uses to disapprove D.C. laws, making it easier and faster for Congress to formally reject them through expedited legislative processes.

Additionally, the bill would expand Congress's authority to disapprove specific provisions within D.C. laws rather than having to reject entire laws, and would extend this disapproval power to D.C. executive orders and regulations issued by the mayor's office. The bill would also prevent the D.C. Council from withdrawing laws once they have been submitted to Congress for review or from passing substantially similar laws after Congress has disapproved a previous version.

The bill would require the chair of the D.C. Council and the mayor to report annually to Congress on the state of the district and recommendations for improvements. As introduced, this bill has not yet advanced to committee action, and most introduced bills do not become law.