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PR26-0620 • 2025

Clemency Board Waiver Authority Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Clemency Board Waiver Authority Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Pinto
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details about the emergency circumstances or the exact nature of the legal gap that this resolution aims to address beyond mentioning congressional review.

Emergency Clemency Board Waiver

This resolution allows the Clemency Board to waive the five-year waiting period for pardons during congressional review.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Clemency Board to grant a waiver of the five-year waiting period for applicants seeking a pardon.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are applying for pardons from the Clemency Board.
  • The Clemency Board itself, which can now grant waivers under certain conditions.

Terms To Know

Clemency
An act of mercy by a government authority that reduces or removes punishment for someone who has broken the law.
Waiver
A formal permission to do something that is usually not allowed, in this case skipping part of a waiting period.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution only applies during congressional review.
  • It does not change the overall process for applying for pardons beyond waiving the five-year waiting period.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution R26-0358, Effective from Mar 31, 2026 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 006072

  2. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  3. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number R26-0358

  5. 2026-03-30 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    PR26-0620 Introduced by Councilmember Pinto at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Clemency Board Waiver Authority Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
1

__________________________
Councilmember Brooke Pinto

A RESOLUTION

___________

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

___________

To declare the existence of an emergency, due to congressional review, with respect to the need 1
to amend section 205 of the Clemency Board Establishment Act of 2018 to authorize the 2
Clemency Board to, for applicants seeking a pardon, grant a waiver of the 5-year waiting 3
period. 4
5
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 6
resolution may be cited as the “Clemency Board Waiver Authority Congressional Review 7
Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026”. 8
9
Sec. 2. (a) On January 6, 2026, the Council adopted the Clemency Board Waiver 10
Authority Emergency Amendment Act of 2026, effective February 27, 2026 (D.C. Act 26-253; 11
73 DCR 1078) (“emergency act”), which expires on May 28, 2026. 12
(b) On February 3, 2026, the Council adopted the Clemency Board Waiver Authority 13
Temporary Amendment Act of 2026, enacted on March 2, 2026 (D.C. Act 26-274, 73 DCR 14
3151) (“temporary act”), which has not yet completed congressional review. 15
(c) This congressional review emergency legislation is necessary to prevent a gap in the 16
law between the expiration of the emergency act and the effective date of the temporary act. 17
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances 18
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the 19

2

Clemency Board Waiver Authority Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 20
be adopted after a single reading. 21
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 22