119-HR-3766 Journalist Public Summary

Headline Summary

Ends automatic deference to D.C. executive agencies: judges would interpret D.C. laws themselves, and a 2024 local law requiring deference would be repealed. [1]Congress.gov — Text - H.R.3766 (119th): Bill text[2]D.C. Law Library — D.C. Law 25-290: Review of Agency Action Clarification Tempo…

What It Does

The bill bars D.C. courts and administrative tribunals from being required to “defer” to the Mayor’s or city agencies’ interpretations of District statutes or regulations. It also expressly repeals the District’s 2024 temporary law that told reviewing tribunals to give such deference. In plain terms, it tells judges and hearing officers to decide what D.C. laws mean without giving automatic weight to the city’s view. [1]Congress.gov — Text - H.R.3766 (119th): Bill text[2]D.C. Law Library — D.C. Law 25-290: Review of Agency Action Clarification Tempo…

Why it matters: In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal “Chevron” deference rule, pushing courts to use their own judgment instead of defaulting to agency interpretations. D.C. responded by enacting local deference rules—first temporarily in 2024 and then more durably in 2025. This bill would block D.C. from requiring that deference, shifting interpretive power toward judges and potentially making it easier to challenge D.C. agency decisions. [3]Congressional Research Service / Library of Congress — CRS: Loper Bright Enterp…[2]D.C. Law Library — D.C. Law 25-290: Review of Agency Action Clarification Tempo…[4]D.C. Law Library — D.C. Law 26-37: Review of Agency Action Clarification Amendm…

Who’s For It

• Sponsor: Rep. Harriet Hageman (R‑WY). [5]Congress.gov — All Info - H.R.3766 (119th): Overview, sponsor, cosponsors
• House Oversight Committee Republicans, including Chair James Comer, who argue courts shouldn’t be told to “put a thumb on the scale” for agencies and that D.C. should align with the Supreme Court’s approach. [6]Washington Post — House Oversight advances bill to repeal D.C. agency-deference…

Who’s Against It

• D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Attorney General Brian Schwalb, and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who call the measure federal overreach into local governance and a blow to D.C. autonomy. [6]Washington Post — House Oversight advances bill to repeal D.C. agency-deference…

What’s Next

Status as of December 3, 2025: The bill is at the “Introduced” stage on Congress.gov. The House Oversight Committee held a markup on December 2, 2025, and press reporting says the committee advanced it, though the official action log has not yet been updated. Next would be a House floor vote if it is formally reported out. [7]Congress.gov — H.R.3766 actions/status[6]Washington Post — House Oversight advances bill to repeal D.C. agency-deference…