The Henderson Brief: Performance Oversight, Cedar Hill Updates, & More
February 7, 2025
Dear Neighbor,
There are times I find writing this opening letter in the newsletter difficult because there is so much going on. This week is no exception. Here’s a roundup of what’s been happening locally – stick with me until the last bullet:
Performance Oversight SZN - We are deep in agency performance oversight hearing season – one of my favorite times of year. This practice of having every agency come before the legislature and explain how they did or did not meet their stated goals from the year before is a good thing. It gives us an opportunity to publicly assess what’s working and what may need improvement. Many people do not realize that most Committees submit pre-hearing questions to agencies that allow a deeper scope on data and other matters. We make this information publicly available on the Council website prior to the hearing – where you can search for it by Committee: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings/.
Clean Audit! – Last week, the Chief Financial Officer released the FY24 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. I am happy to report that the District received its 28th consecutive clean audit opinion. DC has had modest revenue growth, our bond rating is still AAA, our retirement and pension benefits trust funds are fully funded, and we have about 52 days cash-on-hand in our reserves. Despite all of this, the poverty rate did go up – from 12.5% to 14% -- which means there is more work to be done to ensure our most vulnerable residents are not left behind.
Education gains -- Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released last week. This assessment is a snapshot of student achievement by state overtime. There were 6 states that saw gains in reading and math – DC was one of them. There is still a lot of work to be done to close the achievement gap, but after years of COVID recovery, we are moving in the right direction. The full presentation from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and DCPS can be found here.
Cedar Hill Opening Date – Yesterday, at an event to unveil the new name of the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Ward 8 as the CareFirst Arena, Mayor Bowser also announced that April 15 would be the date of the ribbon cutting for the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center. More details to come, but this is a huge! Cedar Hill received its temporary certificate of occupancy and is continuing through the regulatory approval process. Cedar Hill is hiring for a variety of positions.
Summer, Summer, Summertime -- DPR Summer Camp lottery registration opens on February 14. A couple of years ago, I worked with DPR to end the Hunger Games known as summer camp sign-ups, and I’m glad we are continuing this process. Information is currently live about the session dates and camp offerings here. Four location selections can be made per child. The deadline to submit your application is March 3.
Deeper Engagement in Ward 8 - Earlier this week, the Council took action to expel Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White for conduct that violated the DC Code, the District’s Ethics Act, and the Council’s Code of Official Conduct. As I said in August when the federal bribery charges were announced, I believe that public officials have a responsibility to uphold the sacred trust of our office. Councilmember White’s actions as detailed in the findings of the Ad Hoc Committee’s investigation and the federal affidavit undermine public trust, so what happens next? The DC Board of Elections has scheduled a special Board meeting for February 14 at 1pm to approve the date of a special election. Under DC law, the special election must be held between April 15 and July 22. My team already assists on a variety of issues specific to Ward 8 and we are prepared to deepen that engagement. Starting Monday, either myself or a member of my team will attend each of the regularly scheduled Ward 8 ANCmeetings to provide a regular update on what’s happening at the Council. We are currently in the process of confirming our in-person constituent service hours and will share more details once we have them. I’m committed to ensuring that Ward 8 has representation, especially through this transition.
Watching on the Hill - As Congress hammers out their next steps on budget and reconciliation, there is one phrase all Washingtonians should get familiar with – FMAP, the federal medical assistance percentage. Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. FMAP is a formula to determine the federal government’s share for Medicaid expenditures using per capita income. In general, the federal government pays a larger portion of Medicaid costs in states with lower per capita incomes and vice versa for states with higher per capita income. No state can have a FMAP rate lower than 50% and higher than 83%. See here for the current FMAP rates for states. Since 1998, the District’s FMAP rate has been statutorily set at 70% outside of the formula. That means the federal government currently covers 70% of Medicaid costs and the District’s local budget picks up 30% of the costs. Congress did this in 1998, recognizing DC’s unique position of being required to fund many state functions despite not having the broad tax base of a state or the ability to raise revenue like most states (no tolls here). Why am I mentioning this? There are several proposals currently floating around Congress to reduce the District’s FMAP to 50%. This would fundamentally upend our public health system affecting hospitals, providers, and patients, as we would be required to pay more than any non-state. I’m writing about this because lot of people read this newsletter and I fear that the FMAP issue is going under the radar. The District does not enjoy the ability of having voting representation in the Congress, and right now, we need our allies!
I know this was long, but I appreciate you sticking with it through the end. The newsletter has lots more information about what I have been up to legislatively and in the community. As always, the work continues…
This week, Councilmember Christina Henderson introduced 2 bills to increase food access for Washingtonians -- the Farmers Market Support Amendment Act of 2025 and the Universal Free School Meal Amendment Act of 2025.
The Farmers Market Support Amendment Act of 2025 would give support to farmers markets in three ways. First, it would streamline administrative processes and licensing requirements. Second, it would provide incentives to farmers markets to open and expand operations in low food access areas through grant programs that cover operational costs, infrastructure and extended seasonal operations. Third, it would discount licensing fees.
The Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2025 would provide free universal school breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks to students in public, charter, and participating private schools in the District during the 2025-2026 school year.
It is hard to give a complete picture of what’s discussed during performance oversight hearings, but below are some highlights from hearings Councilmember Henderson attended or chaired.
On Thursday, January 23, the Committee on Public Works and Operationsheld a performance oversight hearing for the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Councilmember Henderson discussed a number of topics with Director Tiffany Crowe including vacancies within the agency’s occupational and professional licensing boards, application processing times, and a potential collaboration with the Department of Health to improve food vending regulation.
On Wednesday, January 29, the Committee on Health held its’ first performance oversight hearing on the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange (HBX)and the Food Policy Council. Councilmember Henderson received testimony from the Executive Director of HBX, Mila Kofman and questioned her on call center operations, the popular Healthcare4Childcare program, equity and access, and oversight of providers on the exchange. DC has near universal coverage with 97% of DC residents having health insurance – nearly 100K are covered via the exchange and 5,300 small businesses. During the performance oversight hearing on the Food Policy Council, the Committee heard from Director Caroline Howe, and 3 members of the Health Committee joined for this portion of the hearing. The hearing covered a variety of topics include food insecurity, nutrition benefits like SNAP, grocery stores, and the growth of commercial kitchens. Like many jurisdictions, DC’s Food Policy Council is working on solutions to address a growing ALICE population (asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed).
On Monday, February 3, Councilmember Henderson attended the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety performance oversight hearing on the DC Sentencing Commission. During the hearing Executive Director Linden Fry discussed the commission’s upcoming priorities, the work they have been doing to rank new offenses created by Secure DC and increasing the recognition of their current data analysis capacity due to the increasing number of stakeholder data requests they are receiving.
Later on Monday, February 3rd, the Committee on Health held the public witness portion of the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) performance oversight hearing. The hearing featured nearly 100 public witnesses, which included high school students, community-based providers and contractors, childcare center operators, community members, and advocates. Witnesses testified on a range of critical issues including: grant administration and payment delays, the ongoing opioid crisis, the urgent need for more clinicians and behavioral health staff in schools, youth stress and trauma, and the need to increase accessibility to DBH programs and services.
Later in the week on Wednesday, February 5, Councilmember Henderson attended the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety performance oversight hearing on the Office of Unified Communications (OUC).Councilmember Henderson asked Director Heather McGaffin questions pertaining to OUC’s implementation of a program launched in 2021 to shift 911 calls for emergency mental health services from automatic police dispatch to deploying specialized rapid response units from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH). In FY24 alone, our Office of Unified Communications (OUC) received 1.68 million 911 calls – a significant number of which were mental health related. Data from DBH indicated that in FY23 only 28 calls had been transferred to them from 911 and in FY24 there were 12. Those numbers seemed incredibly low, so much that Councilmember Henderson wanted to get a better picture of what was going wrong. Director McGaffin shared their December snapshot – 911 attempted to transfer 36 calls to DBH’s Access Helpline and only 7 picked up. One call taker specifically, had to wait 14 minutes for a response after calling. DBH’s Crisis Response Team can take almost an hour to respond to a call, so this would explain why 911 has been more reluctant to transfer more calls.
Councilmember Henderson followed up on this government witness portion ofthe hearing on the Department of Behavioral Health with Director Dr. Barbara Bazron and her team later that afternoon. Additionally, Councilmember Henderson focused on the agency's oversight of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW), grant administration challenges, crisis response, school-based behavioral health services, the continuum of care available for youth and adults, and staffing at St. Elizabeths Hospital. Some notable updates include: DBH currently holds twice-monthly meetings with PIW, both scheduled and unscheduled, and provides recommendations for addressing critical issues. A review team—including a licensed social worker and an advanced practice nurse—also conducts monthly on-site monitoring visits to assess compliance with DBH’s contract and observe units for health and safety concerns, which are shared with the Department of Health. In terms of grants, DBH acknowledged significant challenges in processing invoices and committed to further technical assistance to grantees, detailing additional staff on grant processing, and securing a new grants management system by August. Efforts to improve crisis response will take longer as the crisis response team and 988 team are currently experiencing a large volume of vacancies.
On Friday, February 7, Councilmember Henderson attended the Committee on Business and Economic Development hearing for the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking. The Councilmember asked Commissioner Karima Woods about resolving health insurance complaints, working with carriers to implement new laws and requirements for the District like the IVF law, and the overall adequacy of coverage for natural disaster related incidents like flooding. Last year, DISB received 1,032 complaints the majority of which were insurance related.
The complete performance oversight hearing schedule for 2025 can be viewed here. You can also click the link to sign up to testify or submit testimony for the record.
On Friday, January 24, Councilmember Henderson guest starred on Councilmember Zachary Parker’s podcast, the Ward 5 Wave. On the episode the councilmembers discussed performance oversight, staying informed, the Food Policy Council, and Beyoncé. You can listen to the episode, here.
Meeting with PAVE
On Thursday, January 30, Councilmember Henderson met with PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education). During the meeting PAVE discussed their current priorities, which included safe passage and improvements with DC School Connect and developing more Specialized School Programs.
The New CareFirst Arena
On Thursday, February 6, Councilmember Henderson attended the renaming of the renaming of the Entertainment and Sports Arena on the St. Elizabeths East Campus.The arena will know be known as the CareFirst Arena, with the new sponsorship having a direct impact on residents’ quality of life and direct funding will support local programming to address workforce development, maternal health, food insecurity, and other essential needs.
Councilmember Henderson attended the event hosted by Mayor Bowser with fellow DC Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie and Wendell Felder, as well as other agencies from DC government and its’ partners: Blue Cross Blue Shield President and CEO, Brian Pieninck; Director of the DC Department of Health, Ayanna Bennett; CEO of George Washington University Hospital, Kimberly Russo; CEO of Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, Tony Coleman; and President and CEO of Events DC, Angie Gates.
Step Afrika! Community Day: Guinness Worl Record Attempt
This Black History Month, Step Afrika! invites you to join us for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for the largest stepping dance on February 15, 2025, at Step Afrika! Community Day. This isn’t just any celebration; this is about bringing DC together, uplifting our communities, and honoring the power of stepping.
We want you to join in and learn the routine and step alongside Step Afrika! onSaturday, February 15, 2025, 11:00am – 3:00pm at the National Building Museum (401 F St, NW, Washington, DC 20001). Open rehearsal will be held at 10:00am, followed by the official record attempt at 11:00am.
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is home to one of the largest public art collections in Washington, DC outside of any DC museum with 137 works by 93 artists. In celebration of Valentines Day and Black History Month, our " Love and Revolution" February tour will feature works exploring love, romance, passion, activism and resilience.
Tour check-in starts at 6:15pm and is located at the Grand Lobby Entrance (801 Allen Y. Lew Place, NW, Washington, DC 20001). The tour will start promptly at 6:30pm. Admission will NOT be allowed AFTER 6:45pm. Advance registration is required. Walk-ups are NOT allowed.
DC students in the fourth through the eighth grade have the opportunity to participate in the Junior League of Washington’s 26th Annual Youth Poetry Contest! Submit your best stanza, haiku, limerick, acrostic, or simple rhyme on this year’s theme: shine.
All submissions must be submitted by a teacher, librarian, school administrator, or program administrator on behalf of a student, and emailed as a PDF topoetrycontest@jlw.org by Friday, March 28, 2025, 6pm EST. Late entries will not be accepted.
Have a constituent service need related to the Health Committee or any of the other agencies in DC Government? Want Councilmember Henderson to come to your community event or meeting? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Constituent Services Director Ana Berrios-Vazquez during regular business hours (9:00am - 5:30pm) at 202-724-8105, or ABerriosVazquez@dccouncil.gov.
My School DC
Planning to submit a My School DC lottery application for the 2025-26 school year?The My School DC Guide is a handy tool that guides you through the school lottery process. You can find frequent questions and answers here and the “My School DC Guide 2025 – 2026” here.
Residents can also reach out to the My School DC hotline, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm at (202)888-6336.
TakeOver Tuesday
TakeOver Tuesday is seeking contributions of toiletry kits containing items such as: soap, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, and other hygienic essentials. TakeOver Tuesday is a community-driven initiative serving residents of Ward 7. Kits can be dropped off at Marshall Heights Community Development Organization (MHCDO), located at 3939 Benning Road NE, Washington, DC 20019.
The next TakeOver Tuesday is scheduled for February 11, 9:30 – 11:30am at Solstice, 3534 East Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20019. For more information call (202) 209-9624.
Holiday Trees & Greenery Collection
The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will collect holiday trees and greenery now through February 28 from DPW-serviced households, which includes single-family homes and apartment dwellings with three or fewer units.
All residents can also drop off holiday trees and greenery at three locations, Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 4 PM until March 31, 2025.
Bryant Street Sweep Shop (201 Bryant Street NW)
Guy Mason Recreation Center (3600 Calvert St NW)
DPW Salt Storage Facility (2700 South Capital St., SE)
For homeowners and residents, days of sub-freezing temperatures may cause standing water inside pipes to freeze and expand causing pipes to break. To protect your home, customers are encouraged to take steps to prevent water from freezing in pipes and plumbing.
Pipes most at risk are those exposed to the outside or in unheated interior areas such as kitchen cabinets, attics, garages, basements and crawl spaces. Some steps to prevent home water lines from freezing include:
Close valves to outdoor faucets
Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses and leave outdoor faucets open to allow any excess water to drip out
In extreme temperatures let cold water drip from indoor faucets connected to exposed pipes
The Utility Discount Programs (UDP) assists low-income District residents with reducing utility costs. To qualify, you must meet income guidelines and utility bills must be in the applicant's name. Eligible residents could receive discounts on electric, gas, and water and sewer bills. Applicants can apply by phone by calling 1-800-234-9473 or by creating an account and applying online, here.
You can visit us online at christinahendersondc.com. Or stay connected by following Councilmember Christina Henderson on her socials.
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