Title 2, Government Administration.

(a) For the purposes of this subchapter, the following terms shall have the same meanings as provided in § 2-502: (1) “Adjudication”; (2) “Agency”; (3) “Council”; (4) “District”; (5) ”Mayor”; (6) “Order”; (7) “Party”; (8) “Person”; (9) “Proceedings”; (10) “Public record”; (11) “R…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Freedom of Information Act of 1976”.

For purposes of this subchapter: (1) The terms “Mayor,” “Council,” “District,” “agency,” “rule,” “rulemaking,” “person,” “licensing”, “publish,” and “regulation” (except when used in the term “District of Columbia Municipal Regulation”) shall have the meaning provided in § 2-502.…

(a) The District of Columbia Office of Documents, established pursuant to § 2-611, shall supervise, manage, and direct the preparation, editing, publishing, and supplementation of an official legal compilation entitled the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR). The Di…

(a) The District of Columbia Office of Documents shall also supervise, manage, and direct the preparation, editing, and publishing of the District of Columbia Register which shall serve as the only official legal bulletin in the District of Columbia government and the temporary s…

Any document required or authorized to be published in the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations or the District of Columbia Register shall be filed with the District of Columbia Office of Documents. If a document has been published pursuant to subchapter I of this chapter a…

(a) The Mayor shall: (1) Make available, by May 1, 2001, a complete and current version of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (“DCMR”), with all sections compiled by subject matter, and an index to the sections; (2) Publish, no later than 60 days after the beginning o…

Except as provided in § 2-554, 2 copies of any document to be published pursuant to this subchapter shall be filed with the Administrator. The Administrator shall immediately review filed documents to determine their conformity to the provisions of this subchapter and to editoria…

(a) The District of Columbia Municipal Regulations and its permanent supplements shall be published pursuant to typographical and contractual arrangements which ensure that the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations can be purchased at a reasonable cost in its entirety or in …

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, any rule, regulation, or document having general applicability and legal effect which has been adopted or enacted by the Commissioner, the Mayor, the District of Columbia Council, an agency, or other instrumentality of t…

The Administrator of the District of Columbia Office of Documents shall correct grammatical or typographical errors in the publication of the text of a document in the District of Columbia Statutes-at-Large, the District of Columbia Register or the District of Columbia Municipal …

Each part of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, each permanent supplement of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, and the District of Columbia Register shall contain a certificate by the Administrator stating that such part contains all documents required …

The publication of any document in the District of Columbia Statutes-at-Large, the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, or the District of Columbia Register creates a rebuttable presumption: (1) That it was duly issued, prescribed, adopted, or enacted; and (2) That all req…

Any person who knowingly and willfully causes any document not to be published in the District of Columbia Statutes-at-Large, the District of Columbia Register, or the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations which is required to be so published pursuant to this subchapter shal…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Open Meetings Act”.

The public policy of the District is that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the actions of those who represent them.

This subchapter shall be construed broadly to maximize public access to meetings. Exceptions shall be construed narrowly and shall permit closure of meetings only as authorized by this chapter.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1)(A) "Meeting" means any gathering of a quorum of the members of a public body, including hearings and roundtables, whether formal or informal, regular, special, or emergency, at which the members consider, conduct, or advise on pu…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a meeting shall be open to the public. A meeting shall be deemed open to the public if: (1) The public is permitted to be physically present; (2) The news media, as defined by § 16-4701, is permitted to be physically prese…

(a) Before meeting in open or closed session, a public body shall provide advance public notice as follows: (1) Notice shall be provided when meetings are scheduled and when the schedule is changed. A public body shall establish an annual schedule of its meetings, if feasible, an…

(a) A meeting may be held by video conference, telephone conference, or other electronic means; provided, that: (1) Reasonable arrangements are made to accommodate the public's right to attend the meeting, or steps are taken that are reasonably calculated to allow the public to v…

(a) All meetings of public bodies, whether open or closed, shall be recorded by electronic means, and the recording shall be preserved for a minimum of 5 years; provided, that if a recording is not feasible, detailed minutes of the meeting shall be taken and preserved for a minim…

(a) The Office of Open Government may bring a lawsuit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for injunctive or declaratory relief for any violation of this subchapter before or after the meeting in question takes place; provided, that the Council shall adopt its own ru…

The Mayor, in coordination with the Office of Open Government, shall: (1) Develop a training manual for members of public bodies; and (2) Annually advise all members of public bodies of their responsibilities under this subchapter.

For the purpose of this subchapter: (1) The term “act” shall have the same meaning as is ascribed to it in § 1-201.03(7). (2) The term “agency” means any officer, employee, office, department, division, board, commission, or other agency of the government of the District of Colum…

A resolution or act passed or adopted by the Council pursuant to § 1-204.12(a) shall be published in the District of Columbia Register as soon as practicable after it is passed or adopted.

(a) Beginning in 2013, within 45 days of the end of each Council year, the Council shall compile and publish online the District of Columbia Statutes-at-Large which shall include in separate chronological order: (1) Council acts, including emergency acts adopted after December 31…

After passage by the Council, but before any presentation to the Mayor, each act and resolution of the Council shall be set forth on parchment or other such suitable paper.

All courts within the District of Columbia shall take judicial notice of the acts and resolutions published in the District of Columbia Statutes-at-Large.

(a) Part IV D of Organization Order No. 2, Commissioner’s Order No. 67-23, December 13, 1967, creating the Secretariat within the executive office of the Mayor, is amended: (1) By striking subsection 1. k.; and (2) By transferring, as provided in this subchapter, to the District …

The Administrator of the District of Columbia Office of Documents shall: (1) Supervise, manage, and direct the preparation, editing, printing and public distribution of all legal publications of the District of Columbia government including the District of Columbia Register and t…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, any other requirement that the District of Columbia publish notices in 2 daily newspapers shall be satisfied by publication in at least 2 general circulation newspapers, published in the District of Columbia, once every 2 weeks or more…

For purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Disability” means, with respect to an individual: (A) A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of that individual; (B) A record of such an impairment; or (C) Being regarded a…

(a) On or after September 29, 2006, all new and revised sections of the District of Columbia Official Code, all new, revised, or republished District regulations, rules, policies, or publications and all internet publications shall, when referring to persons with disabilities: (1…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) "Electronic" means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities. (2) "Legal material" means, whether or not in effect: (A) The acts and resolutions of th…

This subchapter applies to all legal material in an electronic record that is designated as official under § 2-651.03 and first published electronically on or after July 1, 2017.

(a) If an official publisher publishes legal material only in an electronic record, the official publisher shall: (1) Designate the electronic record as official; and (2) Comply with §§ 2-651.04, 2-651.06, and 2-651.07. (b) An official publisher that publishes legal material in a…

An official publisher of legal material in an electronic record that is designated as official under § 2-651.03 shall authenticate the record. To authenticate an electronic record, the official publisher shall provide a method for a user to determine that the record received by t…

(a) Legal material in an electronic record that is authenticated under § 2-651.04 is presumed to be an accurate copy of the legal material. (b) If another state has adopted a law substantially similar to this subchapter, legal material in an electronic record that is designated a…

(a) An official publisher of legal material in an electronic record that is or was designated as official under § 2-651.03 shall provide for the preservation and security of the record in an electronic form or a form that is not electronic. (b) If legal material is preserved unde…

An official publisher of legal material in an electronic record that is required to be preserved under § 2-651.06 shall ensure that the material is reasonably available for use by the public on a permanent basis.

In implementing this subchapter, an official publisher of legal material in an electronic record shall consider: (1) Standards and practices of other jurisdictions; (2) The most recent standards regarding authentication of, preservation and security of, and public access to, lega…

(a) The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of this title, may promulgate rules to carry out the purposes of this subchapter pursuant to the Mayor's authority under § 2-651.01(3)(C) and (D). (b) The Council may adopt its own rules or resolutions to implement the provisio…

In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration shall be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

This subchapter modifies, limits, or supersedes the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, approved June 30, 2000 (144 Stat. 464; 15 U.S.C. § 7001 et seq.), but does not modify, limit, or supersede section 101(c) of that act (15 U.S.C. § 7001(c)), or authorize…

For the purpose of this chapter, the term: (1) “Agency” includes all departments, entities, agencies, offices, or other subdivisions of the executive and legislative branches of the government of the District of Columbia as well as all independent boards, commissions, agencies, o…