Cycle Track Measure Withdrawn at Otherwise Productive but Routine Meeting

Some meetings are marked by the votes that occur at them. Others are marked by the votes that don’t.

Much public discussion leading up to the most recent Legislative Meeting, and much of the discussion at the meeting itself, focused on a proposed emergency measure designed to spur action on stalled plans for a cycle track on 9th Street, NW. However, as concerns regarding parking on the micro level and potential gentrification impacts on the macro level were raised, it became apparent that more work needed to be done to further engage the respective communities. As a result, the measure was withdrawn.

During the same meeting, unanimous action was taken on a variety of other measures. A ban on so-called “ghost guns” (which are 3-D printed, unregistered, and undetectable) and which are now being seized by police at a rate of approximately one a month, was approved on an emergency basis.

A “Paid Leave to Vote” bill was passed in two forms at the meeting. The permanent bill, which would provide DC residents with up to two hours of paid leave from their jobs, and/or excused leave from school, in order to vote, received the first of two necessary Council approvals. A related emergency measure, which included only the student/school provision, was also approved.

A parking benefit equity measure that received the first of two necessary votes at the most recent meeting requires employers who provide leased parking as an employee benefit to provide an equivalent non-parking transportation benefit, pay into a fund, or implement a broader transportation management plan.

A Tax Increment Financing measure for the Reunion Square development project, the first such initiative East of the River, was also passed on an emergency basis at the meeting, so that work could proceed on the long-discussed project.

Measures introduced at the most recent meeting, if enacted, would:

  • Protect lottery winners from potential harassment, including by offering potential anonymity to winners
  • Require frequent online reporting of Tenant Opportunity to Purchase offers so that nonprofits and government agencies can provide timely assistance and oversight
  • Permanently extend what is currently a five-year property tax abatement for limited equity cooperatives for lower-income residents
  • Create an advisory council for limited equity cooperatives
  • Institute a student loan borrower bill of rights
  • Require substantial improvements to the District’s bus system, and provide all DC residents with up to $100 a month in SmarTrip benefits
  • Create “End Gun Violence” license plates, with the proceeds from the sale of such plates being dedicated to violence prevention
  • Require schools to notify their communities when a school employee is charged with sexual misconduct
  • Dedicate half of all revenue beyond predicted totals to “Birth to Three” early childhood funding, and half to the earlier bus/SmarTrip measure
  • Ensure public trust in human services through mandated customer service surveys

For a full list of all votes taken at the most recent meeting, please click here.

The next regularly scheduled Legislative Meeting will be held on April 7.