Dear Friend,
It’s officially the first week of fall, and the D.C. Council is
back in full swing!
Post-recess has been action-packed so far: Last Thursday, I joined
my colleagues at a historic hearing on D.C. Statehood before Congress. Thank
you to everyone who showed up at the Rayburn House Office Building,
called members of the House and Senate to support the statehood bill,
wrote an email, sent a tweet, told a friend, or simply wore a
statehood button. The hearing was a step forward in highlighting this
voting rights and civil rights injustice. I hope you will continue to
lend your voice to the call for District statehood and stay engaged on
ways to advocate. We need each of you to make D.C. the 51st state!
On that note, I want to spend a moment celebrating the life of Mark
Plotkin, who died at the age of 72 over the weekend. Thursday’s
hearing wouldn’t have happened without Plotkin’s tireless efforts to
promote D.C. statehood. This city owes a lot to Plotkin, who was a
savvy, sharp-tongued political commentator for both WAMU and WTOP over
the years. He pretty much single-handedly saved the Wilson Building,
then known as the District Building, as the seat of D.C. government.
He was a relentless crusader for the District, always fighting against
our step-child status with the federal government. Personally, I
learned a lot from Mark, and he was supportive of my switch from
journalism to politics. That’s because he himself ran for D.C. Council
to represent Ward 3, and those of you who have attended a meet and
greet in that ward might recall that I always start off my remarks
with a suggestion from Plotkin! The Post has an excellent obituary,
as does Mark Segraves of NBC4,
and my guess is we’ll talk about Plotkin’s impact on D.C. affairs when
I join Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood on the Politics Hour this Friday.
We’ll continue the work you passionately pursued on behalf of District
residents, Mark. Rest in peace.
Along with statehood, I’ll be prioritizing several big items
through the end of this year and into next year. I am especially
interested in maintaining our public housing stock and taking a
detailed look at the D.C. Housing Authority’s recently released transformation
plan, as well as continuing to make sure that our paid family
leave program is ready to provide benefits to residents in July 2020.
I’ll also be working to move forward my Student
Loan Authority Establishment Act, which creates an independent
agency to issue and refinance student loans for D.C. residents.
Stronger enforcement of both the District’s First Source and wage
theft laws will continue to be a large focus of my Labor and Workforce
Development Committee, and I hope to work with my colleagues to
include stronger language to increase affordable housing and prevent
displacement when the Comprehensive Plan comes before the Council
again for a second vote next month.
Finally: I’ll be cheering on our Washington Mystics, as they
advance in the playoffs. Tonight, I’m hoping that the Nats will clinch
a postseason spot. And Vamos United! We have three teams vying to
advance in the postseason. Let’s fill the stands and support our
teams!
STAFF
UPDATES
I want to share some news within my own office. Many of you have
had the pleasure of working with Michele Blackwell, who served as my
Chief of Staff for the last three years. Our office wished Michele a
bittersweet farewell earlier this month as she moved into a new role
outside of the Wilson Building. We know Michele will shine in her new
professional adventure!
I’m excited to share that Sam Rosen-Amy is our new Chief of Staff!
Many of you already know Sam from his last role as Legislative
Director. As well, Ashley Fox is moving into a new role as Deputy
Chief of Staff, handling much of the operations of the office. That
means we are now on the search for a Communications Director, which we
will be advertising soon. If you’re in the Wilson Building over the
next few weeks, I hope you will stop by to say hello and get
acquainted with our new office structure!
LEGISLATIVE
UPDATES
Ensuring D.C. Residents Get First-Shot at Jobs:
Last Tuesday, I introduced the First
Source Community Accountability Amendment Act of 2019 to ensure
District residents have access to information about jobs and hiring
outcomes from taxpayer-funded projects subject to the District’s First
Source law. Our First Source laws are intended to reduce unemployment
by requiring developers with contracts over $300,000 to hire a certain
number of District residents.
The bill proposes three changes to increase transparency and
accountability:
- The Department of Employment Services (DOES) would provide a list
of active First Source projects online and send notice of active
projects to the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions where the projects
are located.
- Reporting requirements would become project-specific, not
aggregate numbers that are currently provided, to determine whether
hiring requirements are met.
- Any special hiring agreements between DOES and First Source
contractors would be required to be developed prior to the start of a
project, with that information also made available online. (For
example, the Line Hotel's controversial
tax abatement was an agreement made after original First Source
requirements weren't met.)
I was thrilled to have support for this legislation from nine of my
colleagues, and I look forward to holding a hearing on the bill in my
Labor and Workforce Development Committee soon! If you have questions
or feedback, contact Daniel Savery in my office at [email protected].
Hearing on How Marijuana Use is Treated in the
Workplace: Tomorrow, my Labor Committee will hold a hearing
on two bills focused on how recreational and medical marijuana use
affect current and future employment for District workers. I routinely
hear from employers, employees, and training providers how much of a
barrier marijuana testing is to employment. There is a lot of
confusion about our marijuana law and employment. You may have read news
reports of District employees who were reassigned at work due to
medical marijuana use. This hearing is an important step toward better
balancing workplace safety with our marijuana laws.
If you have thoughts, I hope you will either testify
in-person tomorrow, September 25, starting at 11:00am or submit
written feedback to [email protected]. Here are the two
bills we are considering, and what they intend to do:
COMMUNITY
UPDATES
Celebrate
Rock Creek Park: Join neighbors at Rock Creek Park this
Saturday for both National Public Lands Day and Rock Creek Park Day!
Saturday will mark the anniversary of the creation of Rock Creek Park
in 1890, which makes it the third-oldest national park! The day will
include ranger talks and a volunteer clean-up from 9:00am-3:00pm at
the Rock Creek Park Nature Center (5200 Glover Rd NW). Volunteers will
receive a complimentary lunch and a coupon for one fee-free entrance
to any national park. The event is free, but registration is required!
You can contact Jesse Buff with questions at
[email protected].
2019
DC Parent and Family Engagement Summit: The Office of the
State Superintendent of Education is hosting its annual engagement
summit this Saturday to inform parents and families about all
education options available for children in the District. Contact
Valrie Brown at [email protected] or (202) 299-2093 for additional
information.
Washington
Ballet’s City-Wide Dance for All: The
Washington Ballet’s city-wide Dance for All event is back! Find free
performances,
lectures
and demonstrations, and dance classes
for all ages all across the District now through October 19.
Upcoming Events:
-
Labor
Committee Hearing on Marijuana-Related Legislation: Wednesday,
September 25, beginning at 11:00am at the John A. Wilson Building
(1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 500)
-
Barracks
Row Fall Festival: Saturday, September 28, from 11:00am-5:00pm
along 8th Street SE (between I St. and E St. SE)
-
12th
Annual Tenant Summit: Saturday, September 28, from 8:00am-4:30pm
at Gallaudet University (Kellogg Conference Hotel, 800 Florida Ave.
NE)
-
2019
D.C. Parent and Family Engagement Summit:
Saturday, September 28, from 9:00am-3:00pm at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl. NW)
-
Hillcrest
Day: Saturday, September 28, from 11:00am-3:00pm at Hillcrest
Recreation Center (3100 Denver St. SE)
-
Volta
Park Day Fall Festival: Saturday, October 5, from 11:00am-2:00pm
at Volta & 34th St. NW
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you at the Barracks
Row Festival or the Tenant Summit this weekend!
Elissa.
Councilmember Elissa Silverman http://www.elissasilverman.com/
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