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D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At Large) joins us to talk about the redistricting process. And now that 5-to-11-year-olds are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, what will that mean for Henderson’s bill that would require all eligible students to be fully vaccinated?

Earlier this month, the subcommittee released three “discussion” maps, all of which were submitted by members of the public as part of an interactive redistricting tool created by the city. (You can see 196 other submissions here.) Those discussion maps offer pretty clear hints as to what’s going to change: Ward 8 is almost certainly going to extend across the Anacostia River, likely peeling off a portion of Navy Yard or the Southwest Waterfront from Ward 6; Ward 7 could also expand further into Ward 6, potentially moving deeper into the eastern edge of Capitol Hill.

Authored by Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large), the bill would ban unfair, deceptive or abusive lending practices, require servicers to tell borrowers if loans are transferred or sold, and extend present consumer protections to borrowers. In addition, the bill transfers the responsibility of dealing with student loan matters from the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking to the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and puts in place a mechanism to oversee private lenders.

“While college athletes will now have the chance to be paid for public appearances, autographs, or social media posts, there need to be basic safety measures around this activity,” Councilmember Henderson said in a press release.

D.C. lawmakers have proposed requiring kids to receive the COVID vaccination as soon as December 15, though the bill, introduced by At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson has received pushback. It would make the District one of the first U.S. jurisdictions to require a coronavirus vaccine for children — but critics say the policy would be too rushed and cause problems within schools. Others argue the mandate would have a negative impact on students in wards 7 and 8, where vaccination rates are worse than other wards, forcing unvaccinated students to miss class.

Council members Trayon White (D-Ward 8), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Robert White (D-At Large), Christina Henderson (I-At Large), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) are among the supporters of a resolution calling on the U.S. Treasury to provide the District with additional rental and utility assistance and requesting Mayor Muriel Bowser tap into dedicated local funds to prevent evictions in the city.

A new bill would require all “licensed child development facilities’” staff AND students to be fully immunized against COVID-19. This would include public, charter, and private schools well as child care workers. The bill, introduced by At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, would set a deadline of Dec. 15 for staff and students to reach full immunization, and would allow for medical and religious exemptions.

Right now, only student-athletes are required to have the shot. At-large D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson and several other members of the council don't believe that is enough protection for students. "The number one tool we have to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is vaccinations. Particularly as it pertains to our younger school community, where kids are in person and around each other for multiple hours of the day," said Henderson in an interview with WUSA9.

As more students become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, the District’s officials are considering mandating the vaccine for students. Council member Christina Henderson (I- At-Large) introduced the {Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Amendment Act of 2021} on Oct.4, a bill that would require “all current and future students deemed eligible by the FDA to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus on or before December 15, 2021”, according to the press release.

Vacant office spaces have emerged as targets for conversion efforts in downtown D.C., but it's unclear whether strategies to promote them will work. DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto introduced this bill and Councilmember Christina Henderson is a cosponsor.

“While college athletes will now have the chance to be paid for public appearances, autographs, or social media posts, there need to be basic safety measures around this activity,” at-large Council member Christina Henderson said.

At-large Council member Christina Henderson told WTOP this week that tasks such as contact tracing have become the responsibility of school administrators in addition to their traditional academic duties. Ferebee also wrote that schools will be assigned a full-time substitute teacher “to provide more consistent substitute support.” To add to its substitute pool, the city is also planning to increase financial incentives for former DCPS staff members to return as substitute teachers.