§ 44–1703. Certificate of Registration — Required; exception.

(a) No person shall solicit in the District of Columbia unless he holds a valid certificate of registration authorizing such solicitation.

(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any person making solicitations, including solicitations for educational purposes, solely for a church or a religious corporation or a corporation or an unincorporated association under the supervision and control of any such church or religious corporation; provided, that such church, religious corporation, corporation, or unincorporated association is an organization which has been granted exemption from taxation under the provisions of § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 501); provided further, that such exemption from the provisions of this chapter shall be in effect only so long as such church, religious corporation, corporation, or unincorporated association shall be exempt from taxation under the provisions of § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(c) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section and §§ 44-1704, 44-1705, 44-1706, and 44-1708 shall not apply to any person making solicitations:

(1) Solely for the American National Red Cross; or

(2) Exclusively among the membership of the soliciting agency.

(d) The Mayor may by regulation prescribe the terms and conditions under which solicitations in addition to those enumerated in subsection (b) of this section may be exempted from the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and §§ 44-1705 and 44-1706; provided, that no exemption granted under authority of this subsection shall exceed for any calendar year $25,000 in money or property, adjusted once a year on October 1, in accordance with the consumer price index for the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Statistical Area, or any successor index, as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or any successor agency.

(July 10, 1957, 71 Stat. 279, Pub. L. 85-87, § 4; Feb. 18, 2017, D.C. Law 21-202, § 2, 63 DCR 15043.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 2-703.

1973 Ed., § 2-2103.

Applicability

Section 7019 of D.C. Law 22-33 repealed § 4 of D.C. Law 21-202. Therefore the changes made to this section by D.C. Law 21-202 have been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 21-202: § 3 of D.C. Law 21-202 provided that the change made to this section by § 2 of D.C. Law 21-202 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 4 of D.C. Law 21-202, see § 7019 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-167, Oct. 24, 2017, 64 DCR 10802).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 4 of D.C. Law 21-202, see § 7019 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-104, July 20, 2017, 64 DCR 7032).

Change in Government

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 402(75) of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.