Legislative Business Soldiers On as Ad Hoc Committee Questions Investigative Report Authors
In what was once unprecedented but is now becoming routine, the full Council met three times in a single day: first as the Committee of the Whole, then for a Legislative Meeting, and finally (without Councilmember Jack Evans) as the Ad Hoc Committee in the Matter of the aforementioned councilmember.
In the Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the twelve councilmembers heard from the lead attorneys conducting the investigation into Councilmember Evans. After brief opening comments from the attorneys, the councilmembers took three ten-minute rounds of questions to query them. Next up for the Ad Hoc Committee is a December 3 meeting at which Councilmember Evans will respond to questions.
The business conducted at the earlier Committee of the Whole and Legislative meetings was largely conventional legislative business. Other than a long discussion reaffirming the Council’s earlier stance that proceeds from sports gaming (in the out-years) should be evenly split between violence prevention and birth-to-three early education efforts, the meetings were fairly brief.
Measures introduced at the most recent meeting, if enacted, would:
- Provide continuing education courses for licensed health professionals on suicide prevention
- Create a small business ombudsperson at the Department of Small and Local Business Development
- Increase reckless driver accountability by requiring mandatory education classes based on a successful New York city model
- Implement an omnibus package of small business procurement reforms
- Facilitate interstate physical therapy practice by including the District in a multi-state physical therapy license compact
- Allow for the recognition of the tribal identities of Native Americans on birth certificates in the District of Columbia
- Provide all Native Americans with free fishing licenses, per the terms of the 1666 Articles of Peace and Amity, the terms of which are still in effect today
- Establish an affordable housing community land trust
For a full list of all votes taken at the most recent meeting, please click here.
The Council’s next Legislative Meeting will be held on December 3.