District Of Columbia § 1-204.04 - Powers of the Council.
Full text of District Of Columbia D.C. Code § 1-204.04 — Powers of the Council., with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 1-204.04. Powers of the Council.
1-204.04Subject to the limitations specified in §§ to , the legislative power granted to the District by this chapter is vested in and shall be exercised by the Council in accordance with this chapter. In addition, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, all functions granted to or imposed upon, or vested in or transferred to the District of Columbia Council, as established by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967, shall be carried out by the Council in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
The Council shall have authority to create, abolish, or organize any office, agency, department, or instrumentality of the government of the District and to define the powers, duties, and responsibilities of any such office, agency, department, or instrumentality.
The Council shall adopt and publish rules of procedures which shall include provisions for adequate public notification of intended actions of the Council.
Every act shall be published and codified upon becoming law as the Council may direct.
An act passed by the Council shall be presented by the Chairman of the Council to the Mayor, who shall, within 10 calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) after the act is presented to him, either approve or disapprove such act. If the Mayor shall approve such act, he shall indicate the same by affixing his signature thereto, and such act shall become law subject to the provisions of . If the Mayor shall disapprove such act, he shall, within 10 calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) after it is presented to him, return such act to the Council setting forth in writing his reasons for such disapproval. If any act so passed shall not be returned to the Council by the Mayor within 10 calendar days after it shall have been presented to him, the Mayor shall be deemed to have approved it, and such act shall become law subject to the provisions of unless the Council by a recess of 10 days or more prevents its return, in which case it shall not become law. If, within 30 calendar days after an act has been timely returned by the Mayor to the Council with his disapproval, two-thirds of the members of the Council present and voting vote to reenact such act, the act so reenacted shall become law subject to the provisions of .
In the case of any budget act adopted by the Council pursuant to and submitted to the Mayor in accordance with subsection (e) of this section, the Mayor shall have power to disapprove any items or provisions, or both, of such act and approve the remainder. In any case in which the Mayor so disapproves of any item or provision, he shall append to the act when he signs it a statement of the item or provision which he disapproves, and shall, within such 10-day period, return a copy of the act and statement with his objections to the Council. If, within 30 calendar days after any such item or provision so disapproved has been timely returned by the Mayor to the Council, two-thirds of the members of the Council present and voting vote to reenact any such item or provision, such item or provision so reenacted shall be incorporated in the budget act and become law subject to the provisions of . In any case in which the Mayor fails to timely return any such item or provision so disapproved to the Council, the Mayor shall be deemed to have approved such item or provision not returned, and such item or provision not returned shall be incorporated in the budget act and become law subject to the provisions of . In the case of any budget act for a fiscal year which is a control year (as defined in ), this subsection shall apply as if the reference in the second sentence to “ten-day period” were a reference to “five-day period” and the reference in the third sentence to “thirty calendar days” were a reference to “5 calendar days.”
Annotations
On May 27, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued Order No. 14-7067, vacating the lower court’s judgment, dismissing the appeal, and remanding the case to the District Court with instructions to remand the case to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. See Council of the Dist. of Columbia v. Bowser, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 8881 (2015). The amendments contained in are codified in this section.
was declared invalid by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in a memorandum opinion dated May 19, 2014, Civil Action No. 2014-0655. The court held that although the Council of the District of Columbia, the Mayor, and United States District Court for the District of Columbia are powerless to grant to the residents of the District of Columbia full budget autonomy, the United States Congress and the President of the United States are empowered to do so; and concluded that the Budget Autonomy Act was unlawful. See Council of the Dist. of Columbia v. Gray, 42 F. Supp. 3d 134, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68055 (2014).
Applicability of : Section 3 of provided that section 2 of the act shall apply as of January 1, 2014.
Authority Recommendation Procedure and Fiscal Impact Rules Amendment Resolution of 1997: Pursuant to Resolution 12-100, effective May 6, 1997, the Authority Recommendation Procedure and Fiscal Impact Rules Amendment Resolution of 1997 was adopted.
Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period XII, and the MOU on the President’s Plan Resolution of 1997: Pursuant to Resolution 12-047, effective Mar. 4, 1997, the Rules Resolution for Council Period XII, and the MOU on the President’s Plan Resolution, were adopted.
Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period XI, Contract Review Emergency Amendment Resolution of 1996: Pursuant to Resolution 11-476, effective July 17, Council amended, on an emergency basis, the Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period XI to permit specified proposed contracts in excess of $1 million to be transmitted to the Council for review during a Council recess, and to permit the time period for Council review of specified proposed contracts in excess of $1 million to begin on the day following its receipt by the Council.
Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period XI, Federal-Aid Highway Contract Review Amendment Resolution of 1996: Pursuant to Resolution 11-368, effective June 4, Council amended the Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia, Council Period XI to permit proposed federal-aid highway contracts in excess $1 million to be transmitted to the Council for review during a Council recess, to permit the time period for Council review of a proposed federal-aid highway contract in excess of $1 million to begin on the day following its receipt by the Council and to permit the establishment of a procedure to permit the Council to complete its review of proposed federal-aid highway contracts in excess of $1 million upon approval the Department of Public Works’ annual capital program.
Rules Resolution for the Council of the District of Columbia Council Period XI: Pursuant to Resolution 11-1, effective January 3, 1995, the Council provided rules of organization and procedure for the Councils of the District of Columbia during Council Period XI.
Reorganization Plan No. 5 for the Department of Human Services and Department of Corrections: Section 2 of provided for the reorganization, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, of the Department of Human Services in transferring the Bureau of Correctional Services from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Corrections as set forth in § 3 of ..
Transfer of the Office of the Surveyor: Sections 5002 through 5004 of provided that pursuant to this section, the Office of the Surveyor, in the Department of Public Works (“DPW”), established by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1982, effective December 8, 1982, and transferred to DPW under Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1983, effective March 1, 1984, is hereby transferred to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (“DCRA”). The purpose of the transfer is to provide for the more efficient operation of the Office of the Surveyor and the development process in the District of Columbia. All of the duties and functions assigned or delegated to the existing office of the Surveyor in DPW, are hereby transferred to the Office of the Surveyor in DCRA, along with all positions, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriation, allocations and other funds available or to be made available relating to the above functions.
Establishment and elimination of building restriction lines: Section 2 of provided that (1) The building restriction line in Lot 26 in Square 1853 on the north side of Reno Road, N.W., as shown on the Surveyor’s plat filed under S.O. 87-394, is unnecessary for public purposes and it was ordered eliminated; and (2) A building restriction line in Lot 26 in Square 1853 on the south side of Ingomar Street, N.W., as shown on the Surveyor’s plat filed under S.O. 87-394, is necessary for public purposes and it was ordered established.
Conveyance of parcel : Section 2 of provided that the Mayor is authorized to convey that portion of parcel used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for parking lot and access road purposes, and may execute a deed or deeds for the conveyance of the real property.
Establishment and elimination of building restriction lines: Section 3 of provided that following June 16, 1989, the Surveyor shall record a copy of this act and the Surveyor’s plat filed under S.O. 87-394.
Act of March 14, 1984, , authorized the Mayor to convey, by sale or exchange, in whole or in part, to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority certain real property owned in fee simple by the District for municipal use in Squares 3831 and 3828 and Parcel 1.
Act of February 24, 1984, , authorized the Mayor to exchange parcel 260/13, owned by the District of Columbia, for parcel 261/12, owned by the Potomac Electric Power Company (Ward 8).
Exchange of property: Act of February 26, 1981, , authorized the Mayor to transfer the Old Benning Road Elementary School to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in exchange for the Brook Mansion and basic renovation thereof.
Section 2 of Pub. L. 99-216 also waived Congressional review for D.C. Laws 6-75 and 6-70, providing that they take effect on the date of enactment of the public law, which was approved Dec. 26, 1985.
Waiver of Congressional review for certain revenue bond acts: Section 136(a) of H.R. 3067, amended by H.R. 99-419, incorporated in Pub. L. 99-190 by § 101(c), the D.C. Appropriation Act, 1986, provided that § 602(c) of the Self-Government Act (Pub. L. 93-198) shall not apply to certain acts authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds. Section 136(b) of H.R. 3067 provided that the subject revenue bond acts shall take effect on the date of enactment of the act. Pub. L. 99-190 was approved Dec. 19, 1985. The revenue bond acts subject to waiver of review, set forth in § 136(c) of H.R. 3067, are The Georgetown University Higher Education Facilities Revenue Bond Act of 1985 (), The Sibley Memorial Hospital Revenue Bond Act of 1985 (), The Forrest Marbury House Project Revenue Bond Act of 1985 (), The American University Revenue Bond Act of 1985 (), and The George Washington University Revenue Bond Act of 1985 ().
Waiver of Congressional review for certain revenue bond acts: Section 1 of Pub. L. 99-242 amended § 2 of Pub. L. 99-216 to include also D.C. Laws 6-78 and 6-79. Section 2 provided that they should take effect as if included in Pub. L. 99-216, with certain restrictions.
Source: official District Of Columbia text · Last verified 2026-08-27
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Section 1-204.04 ("Powers of the Council.") is part of the D.C. Code, the codified statutory law of District Of Columbia. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.
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