Ward 6 Neighborhood Update 3-6-20
I wanted to send out a quick neighborhood update with a few pressing updates.
DC Council approves two emergency bills strengthening DC’s gun laws from Councilmember Charles Allen
The DC Council approved two emergency bills introduced by Councilmember Charles Allen focused on strengthening DC’s gun laws and reducing gun violence.
On first vote, DC Council approves Leave to Vote, plus an emergency bill to ensure eligible DC students can take leave to vote in June Primary Election
Today, the DC Council unanimously approved on first reading the Leave to Vote Amendment Act of 2020 (B23-0031) that would guarantee up to two hours of paid leave to vote for District employees and two hours as an excused absence for students. The bill will have a second and final vote at the next legislative meeting.
Introducing Metro For DC: Give Every DC Resident $100 on SmarTrip and Set Aside Millions Annually to Improve Bus Service in first Wards 5, 7, and 8
Bill could be paid for by future revenue growth within one to three years with no new taxes.
Press Release: Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety to Vote on Bills Banning Ivory Sales, Granting Leave to Vote, and Appointing First Clemency Board Members
Today at noon, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen, will mark-up legislation banning the sale of products made from ivory within the District of Columbia, among other bills.
Neighborhood Update 2-24-20
We are a little more than halfway through Performance Oversight here at the Council. Performance Oversight is a specific time frame at the Council when we bring agency directors before Council committees to review what the agency did in the past year, ask what's working and what isn't, and dig into specific issues based on what we've heard from constituents or advocates or have seen reported in the media.
Councilmember Allen's FY21 Budget Letter to Mayor Bowser
Below is the full text of Councilmember Charles Allen's letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser, sent on February 3, 2020, sharing budget priorities for both Ward 6 and the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety:
Media Alert: Local Girl Scouts to Continue Advocacy before Council to Name a Local Bat the State Mammal for the District of Columbia
Today beginning at 11:30 am, the Council’s Committee of the Whole will hold a public hearing to consider Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen’s bill that would name a local bat species the official mammal of the District of Columbia.
Ward 6 Neighborhood Update 1-25-20
Happy new year to you, Ward 6! I'm looking forward to 2020 and more opportunities to continue working to make sure Ward 6 is a great place everyone can call home. As we begin a new year, that means the Council begins its annual process of oversight of District agencies before beginning the formal process of crafting next year's citywide budget.
On First Vote, Council Unanimously Approves Councilmember Allen Bill Expanding Tenant Protections and Adding Fee for Downsizing Housing
In the first of two votes, yesterday the DC Council unanimously approved Councilmember Charles Allen’s (Ward 6) Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act of 2019, a bill that would disincentivize developers from downsizing multi-unit buildings to protect the total number of units and add a protection for tenants evicted by homeowners under the guise of using the rented space for themselves, but then turning around and renting the same space again within one year.
