Council of the District of Columbia

Council of the District of Columbia
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Chairman of the Council	Phil Mendelson (D) Since June 13, 2012
Structure
Seats	13
Political groups	Majority      Democratic (11) Minority      Independent (2)
Elections
Last election	November 8, 2016
Meeting place
John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Website
http://www.dccouncil.us/

Majority

Minority

The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the District is not part of any U.S. state and is instead overseen directly by the federal government. Since 1973, the United States Congress has devolved certain powers to the Council that would typically be exercised by state legislatures. However, Congress maintains supreme authority over the federal district and therefore all acts of the Council are subject to congressional review and may be overturned. The Council meets in the John A. Wilson Building in downtown Washington.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the District remains under the jurisdiction of Congress. However, at various times in the city's history, Congress has devolved some of its authority to District residents and their elected representatives.

When Congress passed the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, they called for a new permanent capital of the United States to be located on the Potomac River. The federal district originally comprised land in the form of a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia. The Residence Act also provided for the selection of a three-member board of commissioners, appointed by the President, charged with overseeing the construction of the new capital. Two other incorporated cities that predated the establishment of the District were also included within the new federal territory: Georgetown, founded in 1751, and the City of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749. A new "federal city" called the City of Washington was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of the established settlement at Georgetown.