District of Columbia Electronic Transmittal of Legislation Act
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The bill would let the Chairman of the District of Columbia Council transmit DC laws and Home Rule Charter amendments to Congress electronically instead of only on paper, and would require both chambers of Congress to treat electronic submissions the same as paper ones.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to allow the Chairman of the DC Council to transmit Acts of the Council, and to submit Charter amendments, to Congress in any form the Chairman chooses, including electronic form. It would also require the House and Senate to treat an electronically transmitted Act the same way they treat one submitted on paper for purposes of the congressional review period that applies to DC legislation. The bill does not change the substance of what DC legislation must contain, how long Congress has to review it, or DC's underlying home-rule authority. It only updates the permitted method and congressional treatment of transmittal.
Key provisions
- 1Would allow the Council Chairman to transmit Acts of the Council to Congress in any form chosen, including electronic form
- 2Would allow the Council Chairman to submit Home Rule Charter amendments to Congress in any form chosen, including electronic form
- 3Would require the House and Senate to treat electronically transmitted Acts the same as paper submissions for review purposes
- 4Establishes this treatment as an exercise of each chamber's rulemaking authority, changeable by that chamber at any time
Who would be affected
The Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, the DC Council more broadly, and the House and Senate offices and committees responsible for receiving and processing DC legislation during the congressional review period.
Why it matters
Electronic transmittal would let DC legislation and Charter amendments reach Congress faster and with less administrative burden than mailing paper copies, potentially speeding up the start of the congressional review clock that nonemergency DC laws must undergo before taking effect.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Section 602(c) (Sec. 2(a))
Adds a new paragraph letting the Council Chairman transmit Acts to Congress in electronic or other chosen form
Amends District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Section 303 (Sec. 2(b))
Adds a new subsection letting the Council Chairman submit Charter amendments to Congress in electronic or other chosen form
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2693 would have no cost to the federal government.
H.R. 2693 would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to explicitly permit the chair of the D.C. Council to transmit legislation to Congress electronically, rather than requiring physical copies as under current law. CBO estimates the bill would have no cost to the federal government. The estimate, published October 3, 2025, identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 0.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill authorizes the District of Columbia (DC) Council to transmit legislation, including amendments to the DC Charter, to Congress by electronic means. (Current law requires most nonemergency DC legislation to be transmitted to Congress for a period of congressional review.)
Legislative subjects
Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; District of Columbia; Government Operations and Politics; Government information and archives; Intergovernmental relations; Legislative rules and procedure