As amended. I think we when we had a
conversation earlier today about the curfew and there was some
conversation between colleagues. I think what people felt like
the intent of the curfew was and what was being realized, what
was actually happening on the ground were completely
different. And I don't think we can move
forward on this without the context of the greater context
of this moment. And I say that to say that I
remember in undergraduate studying the school to prison
pipeline and curfews came up and I remember thinking like, well,
why were people why would people continue to do it if evidence
showed that it wasn't effective and it didn't work?
and it led to carceral. And I remember reading about
mass incarceration and how it happened.
and all of these things always do happen in the larger context
of what's happening nationally. And in this case, it is
absolutely happening in the context of what we know is
happening on the national level, because we are seeing these
things play out in other cities that are doing the same thing
because of a response that the federal government has decided
to do in many of our communities.
and that is why I've always said this is not the right tool for
this moment in time, because as history judges this moment,
which it will, we have to remember that what we're going
to see is that people utilize the tool, while cities, and
especially dc, was under federal occupation and put our children
at risk at the at the outweighed risk, at the outweigh of
benefits that really were not tangible or real in actual
practice. And so I think we always have to
remember that what we're seeing on the ground is actual armed
troops and individuals from federal agencies instituting
this right now. And we cannot separate those two
things. The intent and what's happening
on the ground. Both have to be considered.
and how we vote on this today, because that is what the lived
reality of our young people and our communities are not the
intent, but the reality of harm. And we know the reality of harm
that exists. So what I ask my colleagues,
many of you I know, who are also sociologists and anthropologists
and understand history and have read books on mass incarceration
and books on these things to do. Vote on this in the context of
how history will judge this moment and judge the federal
occupation of cities, cities, especially washington, d.c., and
not move forward in making this mistake that we know will be a
mistake if especially if the harm that can be realized, like
the risk of harm to young people and death without agents, with
agents and people who don't have de-escalation training and tools
that don't know our young people and are not under our oversight.
so I just want to reiterate and reiterate that and encourage my
colleagues to think about those things as well.
thank you. Thank you.
further on the bill, or we can proceed to a vote.
the vote will be on bill 26-461, as amended.
all those in favor of the bill say I.
I. Are there any opposed?
chairman, please record me as no, mr. Chairman, please record
me as voting no. Chairman, please report.
miss voting no. And please record me as voting
no. Thank you.
madam secretary, who is recorded as no.
I have councilmember nadeau. Councilmember robert white,
councilmember trayon white, sr. And council member parker and
councilmember lewis. George, please.
wonderful and council member lucas george.
the bill is approved. Final reading.
the next measure. Is.
bill 26-227. Give me just a second.
give me a second. We're having a slight problem,
which is why we're paused. So the next bill before us is
bill 26-2271. Front door amendment act of
2026. I will say so moved.
I know there's an amendment from council members.
nadeau and pinto. Part of my difficulty is that my
screen does not reflect councilmember.
nadeau, who's on the line. So I will have to be told if she
wants to be recognized on her amendment, although she did say
that councilmember pinto would move the amendment.
so I said so. Moved to the bill.
I'll recognize council member pinto.
great. Thank you so much, mr. Chairman,
and I want to thank you and your team for all of your work on
this bill as well. And thank councilmember, nadeau
and your team for working so closely with me and my team on
the amendment before us today. As I relayed in first reading,
this legislation is a great step forward in creating more
multi-unit buildings in the district, especially in places
where larger apartment buildings are not viable.
however, as the chairman of the committee on judiciary and
public safety, safety is always number one for me and has to be
grounded in all of our policy decisions.
we have to ensure the safety of all people who will live in
these units is prioritized, as well as the safety of our first
responders and our firefighters. This amendment keeps the policy
goal of more affordable housing intact, while also clarifying
the intent behind this legislation is for smaller
buildings to have a maximum of four units per floor.
or a commensurate, commensurate square footage.
that way, anyone who's in these units has a safe distance to
cover in order to exit their building via stairwell and
congestion in any stairwell. In the event of a fire or
emergency is relieved. This is one of the important
concerns that's been raised by our first responders.
in the event of an emergency, and it's critical that these
stairwells remain accessible to our first responders and safe
for them and residents. Lastly, I do want to point out
that this legislation is the first step towards
implementation. There's still a rule making
process in which the code specifications will be
determined by subject matter experts, and I look forward to
continuing to stay engaged in that process to ensure that
safety is paramount. I ask my colleagues to support
this amendment today that I am moving together with council
member nadeau. This amendment was circulated
yesterday, 1206. Is that the correct version?
yes. If there's no objection, the
amendment will be accepted. I'm not hearing any objection.
so the amendment is accepted. Is there further on the bill?
discussion on the bill, bill 26-227, as amended.
all those in favor say aye. I.
are there any opposed? Hearing none, the ayes have it
unanimously. We will turn to reading and vote
on proposed resolutions. If there's no objection, I'll
move the two contracts together. Sb r26-617 and prj 26-619.
I think I'm supposed to read the entire title.
contract number. Cfopd-20-c-014.
extension and payment. Authorization.
approval resolution of 2026 and contract number.
cfopd-17-c-009. Extension approval and payment
authorization approval resolution 2026.
it doesn't really say a whole lot.
prj 26-617 would approve a multi-year extension of a
contract with paymentech llc, which provides merchant
processing services on behalf of the district of columbia's
office of finance and treasury. The proposed contract dollar
value to exercise option period for is not to exceed $10 million
in the period of performance is from may 19th, 2026 to may 18th,
2028. The second contract, pr26-619.
would approve a multi-year extension of a contract with
fidelity information services llc, which provides electronic
benefit transfer services on behalf of the office of finance
and treasury for the human services benefit program managed
by the department of human services.
the proposed amount for option period two is $5.372 million,
and the period of performance is from june 1st, 2026 to may 31st,
2020. Eight.
so I move the two contracts together.
is there a discussion? The vote will be on both prj
26-617 and prj 26-619. All those in favor, say I I I.
are there any opposed? Hearing none, the ayes have it
unanimously. We'll turn now to reading and
vote on emergency legislation. The first item was withdrawn in
the office of the secretary. So it is not technically on the
agenda, so that we will turn to number two on page nine.
certified business enterprise program compliance and
enforcement support, emergency declaration resolution of 2026.
councilmember felder thank you, mr. Chairman.
good evening, everyone. In 2024, former council member
and then chair of the committee on business and economic
development, kenyan r. Mcduffie introduced the certified
business, enterprise compliance and enforcement support
emergency amendment act of 2024. The bill was introduced to
strengthen the existing cb bill and close loopholes.
specifically, it requires businesses applying for
certification to be independently owned and
operated. It also amended minimum
certified business enterprise performance requirements and a
certified joint venture, and established uniform hearing
procedures for enforcement actions and bill.
rather, the bill passed and expired in 2025, and identical
emergency bill was put forward and passed.
unfortunately, the bill expired on march 29th, 2026, leaving
small businesses unprotected. Today, I'm putting forward a new
emergency bill that is identical to the previous bills, with an
amendment that I'll speak to shortly.
and it was circulated today at 2:22 p.m. Specifically, I'm
amending the bill to strike a citation to section 19 of the
office of administrative hearings establishment act of
2021. Based on what we've learned this
morning, the inclusion of section 19 has led to confusion
about how to interpret the law. And so it is recommended that we
reference the entire act instead of a specific section.
aside from the technical change, the proposed emergency bill
extends, the provisions included in previous bills.
if the emergency bill does not pass, the agency will continue
to be exposed to legal risk and bad actors will try and take
advantage of the loopholes in the law that this bill closes.
although I'm putting forward this bill on an emergency basis,
I am, or rather, I want to assure my council colleagues and
the public that I will work with you guys to come up with a
permanent version of the bill that keeps the provisions
included in the emergency bill and adds additional provisions
that I believe will further strengthen the cb program.
I ask that my colleagues support this bill, and I look forward to
working with you all on a permanent bill.
thank you. I think I heard you say so
moved. So we have the declaration
before us. Is there discussion?
the vote will be on the declaration.
pr 26-646. All those in favor, say aye.
I I. Are there any opposed?
hearing none, the ayes have it unanimous.
just for the record. Sorry.
the ayes have it unanimously. We have the underlying bill,
bill 26-66 for councilmember felder.
thank you, mr. Chairman. I would like to move the
amendment to the temporary bill that was approved on the
emergency bill. So moved.
I'm sorry. All right.
so let's be clear. You just said so.
moved to the bill. Now, I understand you have an
amendment. Yes.
and you're moving the amendment? Yes.
okay. Just to be clear, for the
record, I don't think you're actually removing section 19
year, removing the reference to section 19.
that's the effect of the amendment.
so if a hearing is requested, e shall conduct the hearing
pursuant to its processes. That's the intent.
if there's no objection to the amendment it will be accepted.
hearing no objection, it is accepted.
we have the bill as amended. Is there further discussion?
chair councilmember robert white?
thank you, chairman. I want to thank councilmember
felder for this bill and for introducing the amendment.
this amendment is a. The amendment is a
straightforward clarification that strengthens due process.
section 19 was never intended to govern how hearings are
conducted. It addresses court review after
the fact, so keeping it tied to a hearing procedure to hearing
procedures has created unnecessary confusion and opened
the door to arguments that can restrict parties ability to
fully present their case. So by removing this section and
relying on the statutory framework that actually governs
hearings, the amendment restores clarity and it ensures that all
parties retain their full rights to present evidence and question
witnesses without ambiguity being used to limit those
rights. So with this technical fix, I
look forward to supporting the underlying bill.
thank you, chairman. So we have the bill before us.
is there any further discussion? The vote is on bill 26-664, as
amended. All those in favor say I I, I.
are there any opposed? Hearing none.
the ayes have it unanimously. The next measure is pr 26-681.
volunteer services clarification emergency declaration resolution
of 2026. Councilmember pinto.
I'm sorry, is this 26681? Volunteer services clarification
emergency declaration. Great.
this bill really just enables lawyers at the attorney
general's office to provide volunteer legal services.
so moved. We have the declaration before
us. Is there discussion?
councilmember. Pinto.
this is we've adopted this legislation before.
have we not? So this is just renewing the
emergency and temporary. Pr 26-681.
all those in favor, say I I, I. Are there any opposed?
I hearing no, no votes. You guys have unanimously.
the underlying bill is bill 26-672.
councilmember pinto. So so moved.
thank you. We have the bill before us.
is there discussion? On the bill bill 26-672.
all those in favor say I. I I are there any no votes.
hearing none. The ayes have it unanimously.
the next measure is pr 26-682. Strengthening probate
administration emergency declaration resolution of 2026.
councilmember pinto. Microphone.
sorry. Thank you.
I'm moving this today together with council member allen.
and I want to thank him and his team for all of your shared
commitment to this important resolution and legislation.
this is really just to prevent a gap, because the temporary
legislation currently in place expires may 14th.
and so we need to re-up this emergency legislation until the
permanent changes can become fixed.
I want to defer to my colleague if you have any other pieces to
add. I don't.
thank you very much. So moved.
we have. The declaration before us.
is there discussion? The vote will be on pr 26-682.
all those in favor, say aye. I.
are there any opposed? Hearing none.
the ayes have it unanimously. The underlying bill is bill
26-674. Councilmember pinto.
so moved. Is there a discussion?
the vote will be on bill 26-674. All those in favor say aye.
I. Are there any opposed.
hearing none. The ayes have it unanimously.
the next measure is pr 26-684. Dc water and sewer authority
billing and disconnection clarification.
emergency declaration resolution of 2026.
council member allen. Thank you, mr. Chairman.
this emergency helps continue the round of emergency and
temporary legislation, maintaining provisions,
clarifying dc waters ability to impose late fees for water
service charges, as well as reporting to the council and opc
to prevent a gap while we wait for the imminent permanent to
move forward. With that, I move the deck.
mister chair. Thank you.
we have the declaration before us.
is there a discussion? The vote will be on pier 26-684.
all those in favor, say aye. I I I are there any opposed?
hearing none. The ayes have it unanimously.
we have the underlying bill, bill 26-679.
council member allen so moved. Mr. Chair is there discussion.
on the bill bill 26-679. All those in favor, say aye.
I. Are there any opposed.
hearing none. The ayes have it unanimously.
the next measure is pr 26-683. Personal delivery device weight
limit. Emergency declaration resolution
of 2026. Councilmember allen.
thank you, mr. Chairman. Just like the last several
measures, this extends a new round of emergency and temporary
legislation needed to prevent a gap in the law from the
expiration of the temporary law and the upcoming passage of the
permanent bill. I move the deck, mister chair,
we have the declaration before us.
is there a discussion? The vote will be on pr 26-683.
all those in favor, say aye. Aye.
are there any opposed? Mr. Chairman, please record me
as voting no. The secretary will record
councilmember frumin is voting no.
the ayes have it. That was on the declaration on
the underlying bill, bill 26-677.
councilmember allen. So moved.
mr. Chair, I is there a discussion?
regarding the vote will be on bill 26-677.
all those in favor, say aye. I I.
are there any opposed? Mr. Chairman, please record me
as voting no. Secretary will record
councilmember frumin is voting no.
the ayes have it. The next measure is pr 26-685.
reservoir district tax exemption.
emergency declaration resolution 2026.
councilmember parker. Thank you, mr. Chairman.
the reservoir district is a mixed use urban community that
exemplifies the district's public private partnership
model. Right in ward five.
currently, the dc co provides a tax exemption for reservoir
district parcels two and four, a critical component of the
project's financing. The project's tafa was
structured using the 80% income limit category of the
multifamily tax subsidy project. Income limits established
annually by hud, and then february of this year, the
inclusionary zoning rates were updated by dhcd, and they do not
match with hud's multifamily tax subsidy project income limits.
and so this emergency is necessary so that the project
can continue to pencil out and move forward.
and essentially, it would allow the development there to be
aligned to the hud rates using 8% income limit category of
multifamily tax subsidy project income limits.
so moved. Councilmember parker this has no
fiscal impact beyond what we have previously approved.
that is correct. That is correct.
we have the declaration before us.
is there discussion? Councilmember.
pinto. All right, councilor parker, can
you say a little bit more about why this project should have a
different standard and what that means to other projects?
yeah, primarily because it predated the update from dhcd in
february of this year. And so as the project was
penciled out, the tax abatement that this body had already
provided, the development team there was based on those hud
rates and dcd's latest update does not align.
and so if we did not do this, that development project would
not move forward. And I'm sure that's not what
anybody would want. Any further discussion.
the vote will be on the declaration pr26-685.
all those in favor, say aye. I.
are there any opposed. Hearing none.
the ayes have it unanimously. We have underlying bill bill
26-681. Councilmember parker so moved.
discussion. The vote will be on the bill.
all those in favor say I, I, I. Are there any opposed?
hearing none. The ayes have it unanimously.
we'll turn now to temporary. Please listen carefully.
so if there's no objection, I'm going to move in block numbers
two, three, four, five and seven.
that's bill 26, dash 665. Certified business enterprise
program compliance and enforcement support temporary
amendment act as of 2026, the temporary will reflect the
emergency as amended. That's clear.
madam general council. Yes, it is, mr. Chairman, the
second bill in this package is bill 26-673.
volunteer services clarification temporary amendment act of 2026.
the third is bill 26-675, strengthening probate
administration temporary amendment act of 2026.
the fourth is dc water and sewer authority billing and
disconnection clarification temporary amendment act of 2026.
that's bill 26-680. And then also included is bill
26-682, reservoir district tax exemption temporary amendment
act of 2026 hearing no objection, I move those bills in
black. Is there a discussion?
on those bills? All those in favor say I.
I. Are there any opposed hearing
none. The ayes have it unanimously.
bill 26-678. Personal delivery device weight
limit temporary amendment act of 2026.
council member allen. So moved.
discussion. On the bill.
all those in favor say I. I I I.
are there any opposed? Mr. Chairman, please record me
as voting no. Madam secretary.
record councilmember frumin is voting no.
and the ayes have it. That is going to conclude this
meeting. I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen,
that the good times have come to an end.
the time is 4:28 p.m. And this meeting is adjourned.