B 26-0048 Legislature · 26th Council Period (2025-2026)

Review of Agency Action Clarification Amendment Act of 2025

The Review of Agency Action Clarification Amendment Act of 2025 would require District courts to defer to an agency's reasonable interpretation of a statute or regulation it administers, as long as that interpretation is not plainly wrong or inconsistent with the law's text or legislative intent. This change directly affects District agencies (like the Department of Health or Transportation) and the courts reviewing their decisions. The bill adds specific language to clarify that courts must give weight to agency interpretations in most cases, reducing the likelihood of courts overriding agency actions for minor disagreements. It does not alter agency powers or the laws they enforce but sets a clearer standard for judicial review of agency decisions.

Bill status signed all 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Jun 2025

Council Passage

Jul 2025

Signed into Law

Sep 2025

Introduced Jan 13, 2025 Signed Sep 19, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossment → Enrollment · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was finalized and signed into law, changing its effective date to include a 30-day congressional review period and publication in the official register. The substantive legal text regarding agency deference was slightly modified to clarify that courts must defer to agency interpretations unless they are plainly wrong or inconsistent with the legislature's or agency's intent.

Scope change

The scope of the law's application remains the same, but the timeline for when it becomes effective has been updated to comply with standard District of Columbia legislative procedures.

TIMELINE

The effective date now explicitly requires a 30-day congressional review period and publication in the District of Columbia Register before the law takes effect.

DEFINITION

The definition of when a court must defer to an agency was refined to include deference to the 'legislature's or agency's intent' rather than just the legislature's intent.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for deference was adjusted to apply to both 'statutes or rules' in subsection (c), whereas the original draft only mentioned 'statutes or regulations'.

Floor votes · Council Jul 1, 2025

How they voted

12–0

Passed

Total votes 12

Jul 1, 2025

D Democratic10

10 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jul 1, 2025

Council · Passed

Council Vote: pass (12-0)

council

Jun 3, 2025

Legislature · Passed

Committee Mark-up of B26-0048 by the Committee of the Whole

legislature

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee of the Whole

legislature

Jan 13, 2025

Introduced

B26-0048 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

legislature

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors