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Today, Wednesday, February 23, the Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment will hold a public hearing beginning at noon on Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen's Metro For DC Act, which would provide any DC resident with a monthly balance of $100 on a registered SmarTrip card and create a dedicated fund of $10 million to improve bus service with a priority on neighborhoods historically underinvested in and transit-dependent. 

As the long weekend winds down, I've got a number of updates I want to share with you. Last week was a busy week at the Council and in local government in general.

I'm throwing together a quicker Ward 6 update to touch on a few urgent topics around public safety, our COVID-19 response, and some notes for small businesses, fans of Metro (aren't we all?!), and more. I hope you're staying warm and looking forward to a bit of a reprieve this week from the cold and the snow. 

I'm excited to share we have a public hearing date for my Metro For DC legislation!

Omicron and COVID have hit DC hard, and the lagging effects of spiking cases are playing out at every level of our community -- from DPW's ability to collect trash and clear streets, to WMATA running enough buses, to many of our small businesses' ability to operate.

Join our team and dive into local issues that affect your neighbors every single day. 

"Wait. It looks like there's been a breach. Sorry, I'm going to have to call you back."

Happy New Year's Eve, neighbors! I hope you've had a healthy and happy holiday season. As we head into 2022, there is so much work ahead and so many challenges to take on, but I hope that you've found a bit of peace and restoration during the last days of 2021 to carry you into the New Year. I'm writing with just a quick few updates for folks related specifically to COVID testing, a few important announcements around schools, and an update on vaccines. I'll be back in your inbox in 2022 with more Ward updates, but let's jump in. 

I hope the end of the year and the holiday season offers you and your loved ones an opportunity to rest. A lot of news is coming at us all so fast. No matter how you spend your day, simply going through each day can take a lot from all of us. As much as I wish it weren't true, the pandemic is as serious as it's ever been, we're struggling with a number of challenges. And yet, each day I find more and more reasons to love calling Ward 6 home. There is a LOT of timely information below so let's jump into some updates -- it's been a true sprint to the end of the year, and I've got a lot to catch you up on. But don't miss some great ways to enjoy the holidays in Ward 6 at the bottom.

The following statement can be attributed to Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6), chair of the DC Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety: