Plan: What is the home rule?

1973 Home Rule Act.
On December 24, 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, providing for a popularly elected mayor and 13-member Council. Each of the city's eight wards elects a single member of the council and five members, including the chairman, are elected at large.
This button was used in a 1974 referendum campaign encouraging residents of the District of Columbia to vote for the Home Rule Charter.
Small neighborhood districts elect 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs). ANCs traditionally wield a great deal of influence, and the city government routinely considers their suggestions carefully. The Council has the ability to pass local laws and ordinances. However, pursuant to the Home Rule Act all legislation passed by the D.C. government, including the city's local budget, remains subject to the approval of Congress.
The Home Rule Act specifically prohibits the Council from enacting certain laws that, among other restrictions, would:

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  lend public credit for private projects;
  
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  impose a tax on individuals who work in the District but live elsewhere;
  
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  make any changes to the city's federally mandated height limit;
  
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  pass any law changing the composition or jurisdiction of the local courts;
  
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  enact a local budget that is not balanced; and
  
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  gain any additional authority over the National Capital Planning Commission, Washington Aqueduct, or District of Columbia National Guard.
  

The Home Rule Act prohibits the District from imposing a commuter tax on non-residents who comprise over 60% of the city's workforce. In addition, over 50% of property in the District is also exempt from taxation. The Government Accountability Office and other organizations have estimated that these revenue restrictions create a structural deficit in the city's budget of anywhere between $470 million and over $1 billion per year. While Congress typically provides larger grants to the District for federal programs such as Medicaid and the local justice system, analysts claim that the payments do not resolve the imbalance. The proposed FY 2017 budget figures show the District raising about $10 Billion in local revenue out of a proposed FY 2017 $13.4 Billion budget.