Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroduced legislation aimed at modernizing how Washington, D.C.’s local laws are transmitted to Congress for required review — a longstanding practice dating back to the passage of the D.C. Home Rule Act in 1973.
The bill, known as the “District of Columbia Electronic Transmittal of Legislation Act,” would authorize the D.C. Council to transmit legislation electronically rather than through physical delivery, which has remained the norm for the past five decades. Norton, who serves as the District’s non-voting representative in the U.S. House, said the measure is intended to update outdated procedures without changing the underlying congressional review requirement itself.
“The Home Rule Act is silent on the form of transmittal, but Congress has always required the legislation to be physically transmitted,” Norton said during a press conference Monday. “This bill simply clarifies that electronic transmission is permissible.”
Norton previously introduced similar versions of the bill in both 2022 and 2023. However, both earlier efforts failed to advance beyond the committee stage.
Congressional review of D.C. legislation has been a central feature of the Home Rule framework, which granted the District the right to elect its own mayor and city council while maintaining federal oversight over most local laws. Typically, after passing the D.C. Council, laws must be formally sent to Congress for a review period, during which lawmakers have the opportunity to intervene and overturn them.
Norton said her push to formalize electronic transmission procedures was partly inspired by the events of January 6, 2021, when the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol led to strict security measures. For a time, D.C. officials were unable to physically access congressional offices to deliver local legislation.
“Council and congressional staff developed a workaround,” Norton explained. “Staff met outside the fencing around the Capitol to transmit the legislation by hand.”
In addition to the electronic transmission bill, Norton has pursued broader reforms to expand D.C.’s autonomy. In January, she introduced a separate bill seeking to eliminate congressional review of D.C. laws entirely. She has also repeatedly introduced legislation to grant Washington, D.C. full statehood — efforts that have passed the House in previous sessions but failed to secure Senate approval.
“While I do not believe there should be a congressional review process for D.C. legislation at all,” Norton said, “this bill would not change the review process, except to give D.C. flexibility in the form it transmits legislation to Congress.”
