Budget Season Wraps Up, One Meeting Left in First Half of Legislative Year

With two votes on the bulk of the legislation constituting the budget already under its belt, the Council only needed to take its second vote on the Budget Support Act (BSA) to finalize its budget work for this year. And with that vote unanimously taken at the most recent Legislative Meeting, the budget season comes to a close.

The BSA is the companion measure to the primarily dollars-and-cents budget legislation. It enacts any legislative and policy changes needed to implement the budget, providing the qualitative counterpart to the quantitative budget bills. The time between the first and second votes on the BSA allows for refinements to the measure based on input from Councilmembers, the Executive, and the public.

A large number of contracts and nominations were approved at the meeting. Also, a measure requiring child care facilities to test their water for lead (with a subsidy available for those needing help) passed on first reading.

Among measures introduced at the meeting were those that, if passed, would:
•Require lobbying regarding contracts to be added to the list of contacts which must be reported
•Allow for voter registration at all DC public schools and public libraries
•Honor desegregation pioneer Charles Hamilton Houston, and mandate the commissioning and installation of eight statues of diverse and significant Washingtonians
•Create a childcare tax credit
•Require Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates to provide proof of residency within their Single Member District
•Initiate a grant and loan program to assist qualified longstanding local retail businesses to remain in operation
•Begin a home visiting pilot program to aid in child health
•Create daytime school parking zones in residential communities, so school staff can park legally on streets, allowing parking lots to possibly be converted to recreational space
•Expand the jurisdiction of the Office of Administrative Hearings to codify current practices regarding Memoranda of Understanding
•Require third-party notification before utility service can be cut off to community residential facilities
•Provide financial assistance to lower income individuals who require a hearing aid
•Provide expanded access to early childhood development programs

A ceremonial resolution honored Bernard M. “Coach” Nedab for his longstanding support for athletics.

The next Legislative Meeting, and the final one before the Council’s summer recess, will be held on July 11.

For a full listing of all votes taken at the most recent Legislative Meeting, please click here.