The Committee on Transportation and the Environment is chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen. The Committee is responsible for matters relating to environmental protection; highways, bridges, traffic, vehicles, and other transportation issues; maintenance of public spaces; waterways; and water supply and waste water treatment.
The Committee oversees 26 agencies, boards, and commissions, including the District Department of Transportation, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), DC Water, Department of Energy and Environment, Bicycle Advisory Council, and more. For a full list of agencies under the Committee's jurisdiction and the Committee's other members, visit the Committee webpage.
Press Contact: Erik Salmi - (202) 724-8063 / [email protected]
To search for legislation pending before the Committee for Council Period 25 (2023-2024), click here.
Questions about how the Committee process works? Here's a quick primer:
-
When a new bill or proposed resolution is introduced, it's referred to one of the Council's 11 committees. If it relates to matters under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, that means it comes to us.
-
Once a bill or proposed resolution has been referred to the Committee, the next step is to schedule a public hearing. Witnesses providing testimony in support or opposition include community organizations, concerned residents, businesses, and government witnesses from relevant agencies. Archived hearings and roundtables can be viewed here. If you'd like to testify at an upcoming hearing, email the Committee at [email protected] with your name, title, and organization (if applicable).
-
After receiving testimony, if the Committee Chair would like to move the bill forward, the staff prepares a Committee Report on the bill, resolves any legal or drafting issues, obtains a fiscal impact statement from the CFO, a legal sufficiency determination from the Council's General Counsel, and a Racial Equity Impact Assessment from the Council Office of Racial Equity, and schedules a Committee vote on the bill called a "markup".
-
If a majority of the Committee votes to approve the bill at the markup (with or without amendments), it's placed on the agenda for the Committee of the Whole (the big Committee where all bills go after markup) for one vote, and then on to two votes in successive Legislative Meetings before the full Council. Amendments can also be offered at the Committee of the Whole or either Legislative Meeting.
-
Following the Council’s approval, the bill must go to the Mayor for her signature, and then on to Congress for either a 30-day or 60-day period of passive review, depending on the subject matter. Then, it's law!
-
Note: sometimes a bill will be "subject to appropriations," meaning all or part of the law needs funding to take effect (even though it's already technically law). The Council has the opportunity to then fund the bill in its next annual spring budget process, and then the bill's provisions that were subject to appropriations will take effect.
