Ward 3 Update: The Budget Wraps Up

Dear Neighbors,

The Council hearings on the Mayor's budget proposal have concluded. If you'd like to watch the hearing for any particular agency, all recordings are available here. The next steps in the Council's process are committee markups, a budget work session, and then the final votes. Here are the key dates:

Budget markups concluded, on Wednesday, April 20th: Committees on Health, Human Services, Recreation, Libraries & Youth Affairs, Housing & Executive Administration, and Government Operations & Facilities
Budget markups to come, on Thursday, April 21st: Committees on Labor & Workforce Development, Business & Economic Development, Transportation & the Environment, Judiciary & Public Safety, and the Committee of the Whole
Wednesday, April 27th: Budget Work Session
Tuesday, May 10th: First Budget Vote
Tuesday, May 24th: Second Budget Vote

Full details and the entire budget schedule are available here.

I am very proud of the investments my committee is making in our transportation infrastructure, the environment, and health services. I look forward to sharing more details as they are finalized.

Regards,

Mary

I was delighted to throw out the first pitch at Capital City Little League's opening day on Saturday, April 2nd along with Mayor Bowser and Councilmember Silverman.

Short-Term Rental Update

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) announced that it has extended the application grace period for Short-Term Rental Licenses to June 9, 2022.

After the Council passed the Short-Term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2018, DCRA began accepting applications for Short-Term Rental Licenses on January 10, 2022. To give short-term rental hosts enough time to get the required documentation and obtain licenses, a 90-day grace period was implemented, with an initial deadline of Sunday, April 10, 2022.

To assist hosts who have not yet obtained their licenses, and to allow them to confirm eligibility for the Homestead Deduction or obtain a Certificate of Clean Hands from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), DCRA has extended the grace period for an additional 60 days until June 9, 2022.

For more information, visit DCRA's website.

What Lawyers Can Do To Prevent Evictions

I was happy to speak at a webinar hosted by the American Bar Association about the Eviction Record Sealing Authority Amendment Act of 2021, which I introduced.

The legislation provides the Superior Court of the District of Columbia the ability to seal eviction records in certain circumstances. Specifically, the legislation requires that the Court seal eviction records where the Court did not find for the landlord or the landlord withdrew their claim. Additionally, it requires that the Court seal all other eviction records after three years and authorizes the Court to seal certain eviction records upon motion by the defendant. That legislation passed the Council in March, and is expected to become law in June. I look forward to its implementation.

To watch the recording of the webinar, click here.

Van Ness Commercial Corridor Project Meeting

DDOT will host a public meeting about the Van Ness Commercial Corridor Project this Saturday, April 23rd, from 10am-1pm. The meeting will be held outdoors at the University of District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW, in front of the Student Center. For more information, click here, and to register, click here.

Forest Hills Connection Survey

Do you live in an apartment building? Through a range of questions, the Forest Hills Connection is collecting data and asking residents about their experiences living in multi-unit buildings and their management. Click the button below to participate and share your input.

This event looks to be fun and informative, and it's free!

A Quick Correction

In the Ward 3 Update sent on Wednesday, April 6th, the introductory paragraph stated that "Special trees have a diameter of 44 to 100 inches, and heritage trees have a diameter of 100 inches or more." Those measurements actually refer to the circumference of the tree, not the diameter. Special trees have a circumference of 44 to 100 inches, and heritage trees have a circumference of 100 inches or more.

This DC car has more than $10,000 of fines, so why is it still on the road?

There are so many cars that have unpaid tickets in the District, amounting to thousands and thousands of dollars. The District, and in particular the Department of Public Works, has been indifferent to enforcing these fines through booting and towing. The problem is not just the loss of revenue for the District, but dangerous drivers, who can engage in harmful driving behaviors like running red lights and speeding, facing no consequences.

"DC Councilmember Mary Cheh, who also chairs the DC Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, held a hearing regarding the effectiveness of vehicular booting in D.C. in December.

Cheh maintains the effort is understaffed and underfunded.

Cheh said she has asked for more people to be on D.C. DPW’s booting and towing team. She said the team only had six employees and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had proposed to increase staffing to nine people in her most recent budget proposal.

But, Cheh said she is hopeful they can add even more staffers than that.

'The department had said at a hearing I had that they thought they could use 13,' she said. 'So, I'm going to find money in the budget and make it 13.'"

To watch the full hearing, click here.

D.C. Council Declares April 2022 as "Giant Panda Month" in Washington, D.C.

"On April 5, the D.C. Council passed a Ceremonial Resolution declaring April 2022, 'Giant Panda Month' in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s giant panda conservation program and the arrival of the first pair of giant pandas to the Zoo in April 1972, a seminal moment for the Smithsonian and for Washington, D.C. The Ceremonial Resolution was introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh."

To read the full article, click on the headline

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 reach us via email or phone through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services requests.