Council Period 26 Rules of Organization and Procedure and Appointment of Committee Chairpersons and Membership Amendment Resolution of 2026
This resolution revises the District of Columbia Council’s internal rules and committee structure for Council Period 26. It changes the Council’s 2026 recess dates, repeals the Committee on Business and Economic Development, and redistributes that committee’s subject matter and agency oversight to other committees and a newly created Subcommittee on Local Business Development within the Committee of the Whole. The resolution also updates committee chairmanships and memberships, including appointing a new Chairperson Pro Tempore and assigning members to the new subcommittee.
Substantively, the measure reassigns jurisdiction over a wide range of policy areas, including small and local business development, business improvement districts, RFK Stadium development, taxation and revenue, banking and insurance, alcohol and cannabis regulation, public utilities, and certain economic development matters. It also moves or adds numerous agencies to the purview of existing committees, such as the Department of Small and Local Business Development, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, the Public Service Commission, Events DC, and others. Because this is a rules-and-organization resolution, it does not create new external regulatory programs so much as it restructures which Council committees oversee existing policy areas and agencies.
The resolution amends the Council’s Rules of Organization and Procedure and the companion committee membership resolution, thereby changing internal legislative jurisdiction rather than District code governing residents or businesses directly. It repeals the Committee on Business and Economic Development, transfers its responsibilities to the Committee of the Whole, the Committee on Human Services, the Committee on Health, the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, the Committee on Public Works and Operations, the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, and the Committee on Youth Affairs, and establishes a Subcommittee on Local Business Development with defined oversight. The measure also updates committee assignments and leadership roles, including committee memberships and the Chairperson Pro Tempore designation.
The available voting history shows strong support: the resolution passed final reading unanimously, 12 yeas and 0 nays. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, but the vote suggests broad agreement with the reorganization. The overall sentiment appears procedural and cooperative, with the Council aligning on a redistribution of committee responsibilities and membership changes.
The bill’s main points of potential contention are institutional rather than policy-driven. Repealing the Committee on Business and Economic Development and redistributing its jurisdiction could affect how business, economic development, and stadium-related matters are handled, and some members may have preferences about which committee should oversee those issues. The reassignment of agencies and subjects such as cannabis legislation, insurance, banking, public utilities, and RFK Stadium development could also raise questions about workload, expertise, and jurisdictional boundaries. However, the unanimous vote indicates no recorded opposition at final reading.