May 5, 2020

Coronavirus Update: New Emergency Legislation

Dear Neighbors,

Today the Council unanimously adopted a fourth piece of emergency
legislation in response to issues that have arisen during the coronavirus
public health emergency. The main provisions from the legislation are
listed below and highlights from the bill include the closing of an
evictions loophole, requiring residential and commercial landlords to offer
tenants rent repayment plans, and new health reporting requirements for
nursing homes, longterm care facilities, and the DC Jail. A complete copy
of the bill is available: [1]here.

One measure that I put forth that has since been postponed is language to
create a utility repayment program for local ratepayers. The logic behind
this provision, similar to my rent repayment plan, is that residents who
are falling behind on utility payments now are unlikely to be able to make
large lump sum payments once the disconnection protections under the public
health emergency expire. A repayment plan provides residents who are
struggling with a stronger chance to survive through the period of economic
recovery. My colleague Councilmember McDuffie wanted more time to work
together on the precise language of this provision, and we should expect to
see a bill finalized in the next two weeks.

On a related note, the ability of the District to recover is closely
dependent upon our ability to stem the community spread of this virus.
Under the Mayor's Oder, which follows CDC guidelines, residents are not
required to wear a mask in public unless in very specific congregate
settings, such as at the grocery store. Although wearing a mask is not a
requirement or enforceable by police authorities, it is highly recommended
and extraordinarily important that you wear a mask in public. If we all
continue to strictly adhere to social distancing protocols and always wear
a mask when outside of the home (yes, even during exercise), then we will
hasten the time it will take for the District to return to normalcy. And,
most importantly, we may be able to spare others and ourselves from the
suffering caused by this disease.

Regards,

Mary

Please see [2]coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates &
resources on COVID-19

If you know someone who would like to receive these updates directly, he or
she may sign up through [3]marycheh.com or by
emailing [4][email protected]

New Emergency Legislation Passed

Coronavirus Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 - This is the fourth
omnibus legislation that has passed since the outset of the public health
emergency. As passing response legislation is an ongoing process, please
continue to note your challenges and submit ideas or proposals for future
legislation with our office.

While not exhaustive, the main components of the emergency legislation are
listed below. Councilmember Cheh was the lead on the three provisions below
marked in red:

Housing Protections
* Provided clarification on eviction protections during the emergency by
prohibiting the filing a complaint for eviction. This closes an existing
loophole that allowed complaints to be filed, but not acted on, which would
have resulted in tenants having no opportunity to cure once the public
health emergency ends
* Requires landlords (with 5+ units) to establish rental repayment plans
for tenants. As noted in a recent [5]WAMU piece: The legislation would
require both residential and commercial landlords to establish payment
terms with tenants who can prove that they’re facing financial hardship due
to COVID-19.
* Landlords must refund tenants for amenity fees that have been collected
for amenities that were not accessible during the public health emergency
* Landlords are now required to clean common areas 'regularly.' The
legislation also prescribes the specific cleaning requirements
* Where not permitted under cooperative bylaws, Cooperative Associations
are now permitted to hold remote meetings during the public health
emergency

Modifying Government Functions
* The Department of Public Works will now be permitted to provide
residents with virtual composting trainings over videoconference
* Enables Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) to provide grants to
organizations providing humanitarian relief efforts or responding to the
public health emergency
* Reformed the signature collecting process for nomination to enable
electronic signature collections/submissions, thereby supporting social
distancing protocols

Supporting Local Restaurants
* Limits third-party food commissions to 15%. As recently covered in
[6]The Washington City Paper, third-party food delivery services (think
delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, or Caviar) currently charge
restaurants anywhere between 10-35% for delivery service; this is in
addition to the delivery fee charged to customers. For those restaurants
that remain open during COVID-19, these exorbitant fees significantly cut
into a restaurant's slim profit margins. This new cap on third-party
commissions will ensure that restaurants are able to keep a higher
percentage of their revenue.

Safety and Health
* Requires the DC Jail to provide the Judiciary Committee with weekly
updates on (1) the number of detained individuals, (2) agency response to
the Banks v. Booth decision, and (3) actions taken to improve conditions of
confinement and provide testing for inmates
* Requires community residence hospice facilities and home care locations
to report daily to the Department of Health on areas where they are unable
to meet staffing requirements as a result of the public health emergency
* The above transparency measures will enable the District to more
appropriately identify and expediently respond to health concerns in
congregate settings

For the legislation in its entirety, please see: [7]Coronavirus Omnibus
Emergency Amendment Act of 2020.

ReOpen DC Metrics at a Glance

When to ReOpen DC - During the Mayor's Monday press briefing, she provided
greater insight into the metrics that need to be met in order for the
District to begin the transition to reopening. These metrics include
demonstrated decrease in community spread, a sustained healthcare capacity,
and the strengthened/expanded coronavirus Contact Tracing Task Force. See
the chart below from the Executive:

For the Mayor's May 4th report in full, please see: [8]Situational Report.

Relief on Student Loan Repayment during COVID-19

Expanded Relief - On Friday, Mayor Bowser announced the expansion of
financial relief options for District residents who are struggling to pay
private education loans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative
will provide qualifying District residents with loan forbearance and
certain financial protections. Twelve major student loan servicers are
participating in this effort.

Residents with commercially-owned Federal Family Education Loan Program
(FFELP) loans or privately-held student loans will be eligible for this
expanded relief.

Relief options under the initiative include:
* Providing a minimum of 90 days of forbearance
* Waiving late payment fees
* Ensuring that no borrower is subject to negative credit reporting
* Ceasing debt collection lawsuits for 90 days
* Working with the borrower for enrollment in other borrower assistance
programs, such as income-based repayment options

For additional resources regarding student loans, borrowers can contact:
* DISB Student Help: [9]disb.dc.gov/studentloanhelp
* DISB Student Loan Ombudsman: (202) 727-8000 or [10][email protected]
* [11]disb.dc.gov/service/file-complaint-or-report-fraud to file a
complaint with DISB
* The Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau: [12]consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

Virtual Education Recruitment Fair!

[13]

Teach DC - There is a two-day Virtual Teacher Recruitment Fair this week!
The fair is geared toward both current and prospective teachers.

Register through the links below. Each day features different schools and
organizations, so if you are interested in attending both days, please
register for each date.

DAY ONE: Wednesday, May 6th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm EST | Register [14]here

DAY TWO: Thursday, May 7th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm EST | Register [15]here

A Note on the ReOpen DC Community Survey

Residents are strongly encouraged to share reopening ideas and input with
the [16]ReOpen DC Advisory Group. However, a number of residents have
reported receiving a notice that their session had timed out or expired.
Councilmember Cheh has alerted the Executive of this issue and their tech
team is investigating whether those submissions were lost or successfully
submitted. Once the Executive determines whether residents who received
'error' messages will need to resubmit their surveys or not, an update will
be posted in this newsletter.

General ReOpen DC Survey - The ReOpen DC Advisory Group assesses community
feedback in addition to providing recommendations, expert advice, and
guideline proposals for specific industry and government sectors:
[17]General Survey.

Committee-Specific ReOpen DC Survey - This survey poses a few general
questions and allows residents to share any sector-specific ideas,
concerns, or specific feedback to the ReOpen DC Committees: [18]Committee
Survey.

On April 29th, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development
(DMPED) began notifying applicants of the [19]DC Small Business Recovery
Microgrants of their award status. Notifications will continue on a rolling
basis through May 8th. While the microgrant award funding will vary based
on business type, independent contractors, sole proprietors, and the
self-employed are eligible for $1,000. There is a $2,500 minimum for all
other awards and a cap of $14,000. The average award is approximately
$6,000.

After notifications are made, funding will be dispersed through local
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), including City First
Enterprises, Industrial Bank, Latin Economic Development Corporation
(LEDC), Life Assets, Inc. and Washington Area Investment Community Fund
(WACIF).

Please see DMPED's [20]Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet for more
information relevant to applicants.

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

The Alice Deal Community Association kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week
with this sign in support of all of our Alice Deal Middle School teachers.
Parents Leslie Getzinger (left) and Peter Boyce (right) joined Alice Deal's
Coach Neal Downing (center) to show special appreciation for our teachers
during the time of COVID-19. Our teachers have been invaluable in helping
our students cope during these uncertain times and adjust to the remote
learning experience—they are truly loved, inspiring, and appreciated.
Please join us in thanking them for caring and educating our students.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to [21]email the office directly or reach us via phone
through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget
requests, and constituent services requests.

[22]Facebook [23]Twitter

FOLLOW MARY

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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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