Every year, from early February to late March, the Council conducts oversight hearings over the nearly 100 District agencies to better understand their missions and evaluate their performance before the Mayor releases her budget recommendations. My staff and I spent many late nights and weekends digging through responses from over 70 agencies that fall under the five committees I sit on.
Covering a whole month's worth of work in my newsletter would be boring, so I’ll highlight a few agencies related to my priority areas of education, affordable housing, workforce development, and returning citizens. If you have specific questions about oversight, please contact my Legislative Director, Shawn Hilgendorf (shilgendorf@dccouncil.us), or my Legislative Counsel, Breanna Bledsoe (bbledsoe@dccouncil.us).
• Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA):
DCRA has an enormous impact on the lives of people in our city. From enforcing housing codes to granting business licenses, their responsibilities factor into our safety and quality of life. So, I took the opportunity during the oversight process to shed light on areas where the agency must improve.
I was particularly concerned about substandard inspections of rental properties without any enforcement, and illegal construction that contributes to shoddy home redevelopments and damage to neighboring properties. I was not convinced that DCRA fully recognizes the magnitude of illegal construction or how it affects residents. I also explained how DCRA needs to step up their enforcement on vacant and blighted properties, which impact neighborhoods that are struggling to turn the corner. I was clear that I will continue to examine their performance on these fronts.
I also pushed DCRA to improve their business licensing processes because I continue to hear complaints about how difficult it is for businesses to open in the District. DCRA expressed that it believes its processes and timelines are strong. I think residents disagree, so I will continue to work with my Council colleagues to make the agency more responsive.
• Department of Employment Services (DOES):
Workforce development is a key priority area for me. While the District has more job openings than unemployed people, it is undeniable that we can do better at connecting the dots. I am focused on boosting employment and developing sustainable careers by ensuring that the job training programs we fund with taxpayer money are actually succeeding at getting our residents into careers. My questions to DOES were aimed at vetting our workforce training and apprenticeship programs, and how we may better help residents who have fallen through the cracks of the education system.
• Mayor's Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA):
I raised concerns about the limited resources MORCA is able to dedicate to returning citizens. Too many of our residents return from incarceration after many years of being away from the District and need help navigating their future. As you may know, my experience working with and advocating for returning citizens comes from helping my brother when he returned from incarceration and my years of work with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the issues affecting our incarcerated residents and those recently released. MORCA is the local agency tasked with helping residents transition back to our city and get the resources they need to be self-sufficient and productive citizens.
A LOOK AT LEGISLATION
While I listened to residents testify at the oversight hearings and in other meetings with constituents, I've gained valuable insights that I've used to draft new legislation. Here are a couple of the bills that I've been working on.
INTRODUCED LEGISLATION
University of the District of Columbia Student Attraction and Retention Amendment Act of 2017
I introduced this bill to help our public university, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), attract more high-performing students by giving full academic scholarships to the top 10% of all graduating seniors from DC schools. This bill also provides a tuition reduction of up to $5,000 for transfer students from any other university who have a 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA) and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. This bill would help UDC attract the best students and would strengthen its academic standings nationally.
Returning Citizens Opportunity to Succeed Amendment Act of 2017
I wrote this bill to help returning citizens get government identification before they return home from prison, and grant a short-term transportation stipend to help them find jobs and housing. The bill requires the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs to establish contact with District inmates six months before they return home to help them create a transition plan. This bill would significantly reduce the number of homeless, unemployed, and reoffending returning citizens.
CO-INTRODUCED LEGISLATION
Housing Production Trust Fund Guarantee Funding Amendment Act of 2017
This bill, drafted by Councilmember Anita Bonds, would increase the minimum annual funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) to $120 million. The HPTF funds construction and preservation of affordable housing, so this would help stem the affordable housing crisis in the District.
CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY
I Held my first Community Conversation, an engagement effort to meet residents in their communities. I started in Ward 7 and will be hosting more in each ward. I received a lot of good feedback, and was thankful for Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray who joined me at my first Community Conversation.
IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER...
MAKING DECISIONS FOR NEXT YEAR'S CITY BUDGET
Mayor Bowser recently released her fiscal year 2018 budget recommendations to the public and the Council, and I have started poring over every detail. My Council colleagues and I will invest countless more hours to determine how to best spend our nearly $14 billion city budget.