Legislation

The bill would implement public sector benefits competitive with both private and federal employers, attracting and retaining top talent for our city government. The proposed benefits for DC government workers are as follows: 12 weeks parental leave and 2 weeks pre-natal leave OR 12 weeks medical leave OR 12 weeks of family caregiving with 12 weeks in a one year period and 16 weeks in a two year period.

The District of Columbia would be the first in the United States to establish a SNAP local supplement giving its residents greater flexibility to purchase healthy food throughout the month. This boost would provide participants with increased food security and allow them purchase healthier foods. Additionally, this bill would change the minimum benefit for a participant to 15% of the maximum allotment for his or her family, opposed to the current flat rate of $30.

With this legislation, the District would join 23 states that have facilitated NIL compensation opportunities for student-athletes. While broadly permitting student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their NIL, the bill would prohibit pay for play, performance, or enrollment at a particular school, as well as compensation for endorsements of restricted products like alcohol, tobacco, gambling, performance enhancing drugs, or adult-only entertainment. Universities would be permitted to require advance disclosure of endorsement deals and agent contracts to ensure compliance with their own rules.

Setting RPP zones at this scale would focus the RPP program on prioritizing parking near a resident’s home and in their neighborhood – while encouraging residents to utilize public transit and alternative methods of transportation for routine trips to various commercial districts and other destinations within their ward and throughout the District. This supports the District’s broader goals of reducing emissions, congestion and safety incidents caused by motor vehicles established under our Clean Energy DC, Comprehensive, and Vision Zero Plans. Further, RPP zones set at the scale of ANCs would be more consistently and equitably sized across the city, as the land area of wards can vary greatly

On September 20, 2021, the mayor issued Mayor’s Order 2021-109 which, among other things, includes a vaccination requirement for all student athletes 12 years old and older. While this is a step in the right direction, many students participate in non-athletic extra-curricular activities that involves close contact with peers, or spend extended periods of time in confined spaces. Students who do not participate in sports or extra-curricular activities are just as much at risk of contracting the coronavirus as those who do, which requires a broader vaccination mandate. We already require minors to receive a number vaccines against various diseases as a condition of attending public school and childcare centers in the District. This would simply be an extension of that practice.

“Ranked choice voting is a system that will allow voters to rank up to five candidates in order of their preference. Data shows RCV better supports women, people of color, and first-time candidates when running for office,” said Councilmember Christina Henderson. “With the unofficial results of New York City’s primary election -- the largest jurisdiction to use RCV -- voters elected the second Black Mayor in the city’s history, the first ever majority female City Council, and an overwhelming number of voters ranked three or more candidates. As DC’s elections become more competitive, it’s time to consider whether a new process for selecting our elected officials is needed.”

This legislation would require the Mayor to undertake a comprehensive review of student assignment policies, including school boundaries and feeder patterns, every 10 years beginning in 2024.

This legislation would improve oversight and accountability around youth arrest data. Local Education Agencies would be required to maintain data that includes school-based disciplinary actions involving the Metropolitan Police Department. The Metropolitan Police Department would be required to report police-involved school incidents bi-annually, publicly and disaggregated by race, gender, age, and disability. The report would also include the count of weapons, contraband, and controlled substances recovered at District schools.

This bill will help increase quality of childcare services by establishing a pilot program that will aim to do the following: --> Provide a facility allowance of $2,000 to child development centers and homes that are rated as Progressing or Developing through the Office of State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE) Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The financial enhancement must be used to help with facility costs such as rent/mortgage, utilities, facility upgrades, or maintenance. --> Require the Office of State Superintendent of Education to collect information and evaluate the impact of the facility allowance. The pilot would include an assessment period to measure improvements to the facilities and determine whether the facility has improved to quality or high-quality status

To amend, on an emergency basis, the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula for Public Schools 30 and Public Charter Schools Act of 1998 to require school-level funding for all District of 31 Columbia Public Schools in School Year 2021-2022 be in amounts equal to or greater 32 than those provided in School Year 2020-2021.

Under federal law, parents usually control access to a child’s education records until they reach age 18, but students may also be granted such rights. The SMART Act would do just that, allowing minors that are sixteen years of age or older to request and receive their education records. This includes grades, class schedules, assessments, scores, transcripts, and academic standings. If available, a local education agency must provide records with a gender mark that matches the minor’s gender identity. LEAs would have 15 days to comply and honor the request.

Current D.C. law allows a minor over the age of 12 who is deemed capable of providing informed consent by a doctor to access various medical procedures and care, subject to medical best practices and professional standards, including contraceptive services, mental health care, prenatal care, and abortions, without parental consent. However, the law is unclear as to whether parental consent may be required to actually schedule such appointments, or secure records that would inform a provider’s decision-making. Allowing youth who are 16 years of age and older to also schedule their appointments or request medical records will further improve health outcomes for young residents in the District and complement existing minor consent laws. This bill will also allow providers who administer medical appointments to seek reimbursement directly from the insurer without parental consent.