I'm calling to order this meeting this is a regular meeting of the committee of the whole of the council the District of Columbia I'm Phil Menon chair of the council and chair of the committee the hold today is Tuesday February 20th 2024 the time is 11:20 in the morning uh this meeting is being held in the council chambers room 500 of the Johnny Wilson building however uh there's at least one member who's participating virtually uh this meeting as with all of our meetings is being uh televised on Council Channel 13 and is available on the council's website www. DC council. goov We Begin our committee the whole meetings by seeing if we have a quorum Mr Cash would you call the role chairman Mendon pres council member Allen here council member bonds here council member fruman pres council member gray council member gray council member Henderson here council member leis George here Council M McDuffy here council member Nido here council member Parker here council member Pinto president council member Robert White Council Robert White Council M Council TR white pres Mr chairman you have a qu is that 11 thank you Mr Cash uh we have the secretary's report of committee filings uh Mr McDuffy thank you chairman I move to wave the reading of the secretary's report a motion to wave the reading of the report is her discussion by Voice vote all those in favor of the motion to wave the reading say I I I I are there any NOS guys have it unanimously we have the secretary's log of introductions and referrals again I'll recognized chair protm Mr McDuffy and I will move to wave the reading of the secretary's log of introductions and referrals a motion to wave the reading is our discussion on the motion to wave the reading by Voice vote all those in favor say I I I are there any opposed are the eyes have it unanimously we have four bills for Mark up in the uh Committee of the whole uh the first is Bill 25- 346 uh which would symbolically designate 26th Street Northeast between Benning Road and 8th Street is Lee Elder way and that's the name of the bill Lee Elder way designation acted 2024 the location is in Ward five it's a symbolic naming which is for ceremonial purposes and shall be in addition to and subordinate to any name that is an official name Lee Elder was born on July 14th 1934 in Dallas Texas by age 9 he was orphaned after the deaths of his father in Germany during World War II and his mother three months later and he was sent to Los Angeles to live with his aunt he dropped out of high school in the 10th grade began supporting himself as a caddy and eventually a golf Hustler as he honed his golf skills Mr Elder faced racial discrimination and where and who he could play by 1959 Lee Elder joined the professional United golfers Association where he dominated the all black group winning 18 of 22 tournaments in 1966 in November 1967 he qualified for the PGA Tour and in 1974 he won the Monsanto open which earned him an invitation to the Masters Tournament he was the first black player ever invited to the Masters he won three PGA tournaments and was named to the 1979 Ryder Cup team from 1978 to 198 1 Le Elder managed Langston Golf Course here in the district the oldest and the that Golf Course is the oldest African-American men's and women's golf club in the United States he worked to incentivize and grow golf participation for black players by bringing in celebrities like Joe Lewis and Bob Hope Lee Elder was a member of the national black Golf Hall of Fame and the African-American golfers Hall of Fame Mr Elder passed away at his home in California on November 28th 2021 the next year year the Langston golf Conservancy established the annual Lee Elder Memorial Golf Charity Classic the street proposed for designation runs along the western side of Langston Golf Course symbolically designating the street near the golf course will serve as a reminder of Mr Elder's Legacy in managing the course and promoting the sport of golf to new generations of black players the bill was introduced by council member Parker on June 23rd last year the committee the whole held a public hearing on the bill on December 15 2023 the committee received no testimony or comments in opposition to the bill without objection I move both the print and Report would leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes is there a discussion the vote will be on the print and Report do I call a roll let's do a Voice vote um all those in favor of the print and Report with Le for staff say I I I I are there any no votes I don't see you he any no votes all the print report are approved unanimously can't do it without reading it Adam General council is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is mam secretary's the record complete once the report is filed Adam budget director does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements yes it does without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting uh the next measure for markup is Bill 23 excuse me 25- 349 the Jesse Mitchell way designation Act of 2024 this bill would symbolically designate W Street Northwest between first and Flagler play has Jesse Mitchell way the location is in word five it's a symbolic naming for ceremonial purposes and is in addition to in subordinate to any name that is an official name Jesse Mitchell was born in nasta Texas in 1881 he moved to the district to take a federal government job where he studied law at Howard University earning his degree in 1910 in 1920 he left the government to organized the Columbia realy and Investment Company and began studying at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1930s most banks would take the deposits of African-Americans but they would not lend to them this led Jesse Mitchell and several Associates to gather $190,000 in assets to start the industrial Bank of Washington a blackowned and operated Bank the bank would lend smaller amounts of money to Black washingtonians to build homes businesses or for higher education that in turn led to more deposits by Bank customers growing the bank into a $7 million Institution Mr Mitchell passed away in 1952 but Industrial Bank has been led by his descendants up until this day the street proposed for designation to buts the home where Mr Mitchell and his family lived while he was running the bank designating signage on this street will serve as a reminder of Mr Mitchell's Legacy to the district and all of the black residents who were able to build wealth as a result of Mr Mitchell's Vision this legislation was introduced by Council M Parker on June 23rd last year and the committee the whole held a public hearing on the bill on December 15 2023 the committee received no testimony or comments and opposition to the bill without objection I'll move both the print and Report with leaf for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes is a discussion Voice vote uh the vot is on both the print and Report with lead for staff all those in favor say I I I I are there any opposed the uh motion is approved unanimously print reporter approved unanimously and general council is to measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is madam secretary's director complete once the report is filed Madam budget director does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements yes it does without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting the third item for markup in the committee the whole is Bill 25415 entitled The Robert yel Del way designation Act of 2024 this bill would symbolically designate Southern Avenue between Chesapeake Street and banini Road Southeast as Robert L yel Del way the location is in w 8 it's a symbolic naming for ceremonial purposes and shall be in addition to in subordinate any name that is an official name Robert yelo was born in the district on September 26 1928 he attended DC public schools and graduated with honors from cardoo High School Mr yel Dell's parents Jefferson and Annie May yell founded the Springfield Baptist Church in 1939 and he was an active member of the Church community serving as president of every Young Person's organization facilitated by the church Mr yalo was very active in the W8 Community he served on advisory neighborhood commission 8e and for a time as its chair he was a member of the democratic State committee the Seventh District citizens advisory Council and a number of task forces that supported varying aspects of the community in 1965 Mr yell moved into the park Southern apartments at 800 Southern Avenue Southeast the same year it was built he served on the park Southern tenants Association for many years where he always had an open door and devoted his own time and resources to supporting his neighbors he worked tirelessly to ensure that youth were connected with summer jobs and to make sure that no family would go without food or presents for the holidays after Mr yal Dell's passing in 2007 the building was named in his honor the Metro bus stop outside the building still States Robert L yeldell Towers the street proposed for designation fronts 800 Southern Avenue designating signage on this street will serve as a reminder of Mr ell's Commitment to his community and the lives he touched this was introduced by council member trayon white and co-introduced by council members Allen fan and gray on July 6 2023 Committee of the whole held a public hearing on the measure on December 15 2023 and the committee received no testimony or comments and opposition to the bill without objection I'll move both the print and Report with leave for staff to make technical confirming and editorial changes is there discussion uh the vote will be on both the print and Report with Le for staff all those in favor say I are there any opposed I don't see or hear any no votes the grindon report are approved unanimously mam General councel is to measure legal and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is mam secretary is the record complete the report is filed Adam budget director does the measure FAL impact statement comply with Council requirement yes it does without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting the last measure for markup in the community of the whole is Bill 25-54 3 agenda says 542 and it's 542 be clear about that bill 25-54 I uh which would officially designate the public alley system in squares 989 is slayen Court Southeast the location is in w six it's an official naming typically involving the designation of postal addresses and enables the placement of the of a primary residence to residences or offices Square 989 inward six is bounded by East Capital Street independent Avenue between 11th and 12th Street Southeast slayen court is to propos name for an alley system most of the alley system with an internal developable lot the owner of the lot seeks a name for the alley in order to obtain the necessary District agency approvals for development of a lot a garage and a housing unit that has been approved by the board of zoning adjustment and the historic preservation review board the name slayen comes from Richard Bruce slayen who was born in July 1918 he was born in a home on 1211 Street Southeast where he resided his entire life as an active lifelong resident of Capitol Hill he was an active participant in Civic events and devoted a great deal of time to the Capitol Hill group Ministry and its efforts to assist the elderly as well as residents at the DC jail he was known as someone who was always ready to do what he could do to help his neighbors and improve his neighborhood gaining the nickname the mayor of 11 Street he strove to increased the beauty and cleanliness of the parks and alleys where he lived and until his death in April 1981 he cared for the park and Alley that were adjacent to his house in 1981 the council adopted the Richard Bruce slayen resolution in 1981 to support having the park and Alley be named in his honor while the park and Alley are symbolically named in his honor neither were ever officially designated with this legislation sladen Court would be the official designation of the alleyway allowing the initiator to receive construction permits this legislation was introduced by council member Allen on October 18th of last year in the committee the whole held a hearing on December 15th anc6b submitted comments in support and the committee received no testimony or comments in opposition to the legislation uh without objection I'll move both to print and Report would leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes is there a discussion Mr chairman Mr Allen thank you just want to thank you and your staff for moving this bill forward today you gave a pretty comprehensive history for Mr Richard Bruce slayen and the incredible impact he had on Ward six and his neighbors so I'm not goingon to go over that again I do just want to add for the record you know we currently have a property that is a budding and facing the public alley system that would would likely would like to undergo construction and renovation and as we all know without a proper address the department of buildings and other District agencies are just not able to issue issue the proper permits and licenses the alley system had previously symbolically been named for Mr slayen but that of course is not sufficient for a proper address so this legislation is required so that neighbors can move their construction and renovation project forward uh lastly I also want to thank Liz paisner who originated this request for this legislation and for her advocacy and working with my staff and anc6b to be able to get the bill to to this point today um and my thanks Toc commission ANC commission 6B for acting quickly and getting that resolution of Support over to the council to help with this process thank you very much Mr chairman I encourage my colleagues to support this thank you Council M Allen further discussion uh the vote will be on the print and Report with Le for staff all those in favor say I I I I are there any opposed I don't see you hear any no votes the uh print and Report approved unanimously mam general counsel is to measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is mam secretary's the record complete once the report is filed Madam budget director does the measures fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements yes it does no objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting we'll turn to measures from other committees all three of which were reported out of the Committee on Public Works and operations chaired by council member Brien n do the first is Bill 25298 Black lgbtq History preservation establishment Amendment Act of 2024 council member Nido thank you chairman the black lgbtq history preservation establishment Act of 2024 Bill 25- 298 was introduced by council member Parker on May 26th 2023 and referred to the Committee on Public Works and operations the committee held a hearing on September 20th 2023 the committee print directs the mayor's office of lgbtq Affairs to research and publish a report on black lgbtqia plus history in the district the report will cover various subtopics including the black pride movement history of black Trans people in DC the impact of the AIDS crisis board of education curriculum recommendations and strategies for promoting the report the office is required to consult with relevant stakeholders hold public meetings and gather public input before submitting the final report by May 1st 2025 rather than a commission to write the report the committee print establishes an advisory committee to provide guidance on the report's development comprising six appointed members with expertise in black lgbtqia plus history the committee print also authorizes reimbursement of the committee members for their work and authorized expenses final fin only the title of the bill is changed in the committee print to the black lgbtq history preservation Amendment Act of 2024 based on feedback from the office of lgbtq Affairs the committee voted unanimously to approve the committee print and report on February 8th with that I ask the measure be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting thank you council member are there questions from Members council member Parker did you have a question question uh member n do I know there is a provision in the legislation uh to potentially pay commission members can you speak to how you see that being facilitated by the mayor's office of lgbtq Affairs um I do not want to speak to that without having more detail in front of me um I believe they do have a standard process but I don't want to get that wrong on the record I'm happy to follow up with you on that we know it was important to ensure that they were compensated for their work however on principle yes I totally agree and thank you for making sure that was included thank you absolutely council member BNS thank you very much um chairman and to um council member Nao I'm just wondering is the thought that this commission if approved would be located in the office of LGBT Cube um services or is this um more ceremonial uh type and would therefore be perhaps located in the office of the secretary of the District of Colombia right so originally this was going to be a commission that was leading a study and doing all of this work um and we realized that it would be simpler and more efficient to have have the office itself do it and thus the folks the six appointed members um will be an advisory committee to the office as they do that work okay so that's to the office of lgbtq Affairs that's right okay all right okay thank you thank you so much absolutely my pleasure further questions I have three Madam General council is to measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is mam secretary is the record complete yes it is mam budget director does the measures fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements yes it does is there a fiscal impact yes a small fiscal impact of $250,000 a year or over the plan uh over a two-year period so over 24 and 25 it will cost a total of $250,000 right um there no other question thank you if there no other questions from Members um without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting Bill 25- 330 office of administrative hearings jurisdiction Amendment Act of 2020 it says 2023 I'm assuming General councel you can check these to say 2024 council member Nido thank you chairman B25 d330 the office of administrative hearings jurisdiction Amendment Act of 2023 uh was introduced by the chairman at the request of the mayor on June 12th 2023 the Committee on Public Works and operations held a hearing on December 6th 2023 the purpose of bill 25-33 is to permanently transfer the authority to adjudicate concealed p pistol license appeals from the concealed pistol licensing review board or cpb to the office of administrative hearings this transfer has already been made through emergency and temporary legislation moved by council member pinto and me the transfer went into effect on October 1st 2023 the legislation also provides for the transfer of undecided cases appeals and motions for reconsideration pending with the cpb as of that date the legislation further grants oah with the authority to repeal clrb rules of procedure and reestablish its own procedures by rule oah has since repealed the CPL RB rules and as a result concealed pistol license appeals are governed by the same oah rules of procedure that apply to all other case types including firearm registration appeals there is considerable similarity in the requirements for registering a firearm and acquiring a concealed pistol license moreover obtaining a firearm registration is a prerequisite for securing a concealed pistol license these similarities often cause CA confusion especially for individuals applying for both registration and license simultaneously adjudicating these types of cases under oah is far more efficient the committee print makes only one substantive change to the bill as introduced it shifts the burden of proof placing the evidentiary burdens of production and persuasion on the chief of MPD rather than on an individual appear appealing the chief's decision at a hearing in an appeal involving a firearm registration certificate or concealed pistol license this will make permanent the change initially put in placed by the office of administrative hearings jurisdiction clarification emergency Amendment act 23 committee voted unanimously to approve the committee print and report on February 8th I ask this measure be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting are there question thank you Council M nidor are there questions from Members I'm General council is to measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is mam secretary is the record complete yes it is madam budget director does the measures fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements yes it does and there is no fiscal impact thank you without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting the third item from the Committee on Public Works and operations is Bill 25432 Self Storage lean enforcement modernization Amendment Act of 20203 2024 um counc noo thank you the self- storage lean enforcement modernization Amendment Act of 2023 was introduced on July 14th 2023 by council member gray the Committee on Public Works and operations held a hearing on the legislation on December 6th 2023 the bill amends the self- storage Act of 20 2003 to Grant more flexibility to self- storage facilities to alleviate burdens related to abandoned vehicles watercrafts and trailers specifically at Grants facilities the ability ility to have these vehicles towed away and more easily sell this property the legislation also adjusts mailing requirements related to notification the committee print makes no changes to the bill as introduced the committee voted unanimously to approve the committee print and report on February 8th I ask that this measure be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting thank you thank you council member are there questions from Members Adam General council is to measure legally technically sufficient for our consideration yes it is Adam secretary is record complete yes it is Adam budget director does the measures fiscal impact statement comply with Council requirements oh yes it does and there is no fiscal impact there's no fiscal impact thank you without objection this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for the March 5th legislative meeting the next measure which is other business is consideration of the schedule for the public hearings for the fiscal year 2025 budget and multi-year financial plan uh I was being reminded we did we don't vote on these but I circulate and then see if there are any comments from members and once we get through today then the budget office will publish this are there any comments on this schedule council member Henderson Mr chairman um I noted that um there were a couple of um committees where it wasn't an agency it just had a date reserved when will the rest of that be filled in by director do you know and uh it will be filled in when that committee furnishes that information to us and we will post it on our website and in the register um and this is a reminder so this will be published in the register but then there will be updates that will be published in the register because I remember that when we do the report it lists not all the dates but or maybe it does list the dates that the um changes are published in the register um just for everybody's benefit the budget is scheduled to come to the council to be filed by the mayor on March 20th that would be the fiscal year 2025 proposed budget local budget act the budget support act that accompanies it the revised fiscal year 24 budget uh the Federal budget portion request act by leaving anything out I think that's it those four measures the local budget act yeah that was the first one I mentioned I think um I'm being told this will all be on the hearing management system HMS on the council's website within the week uh so the public can access it that way as as well uh the Committees are scheduled to have hearings beginning March 25th Monday March 25th through Wednesday April 10th the committee the whole will have a hearing on all of the measures on Thursday April 11th that will be an all day hearing unless everybody's fine with the budget in which case it'll be a short hearing I was sarcastic uh the markups are scheduled the week of April 23rd to April 25th that's Tuesday through Thursday we will have a budget work session on Wednesday May 1st first reading May 14th 2 reading May 28th and there will be an amendment nature of a substitute and the amendment nature of a substitute will be circulated the day before but I will talk with members um don't get me started the budget office uh works really very hard anybody can talk to them about this and in fact one year the CFO system crashed we couldn't get a financial plan um so that's the schedule any other comments or questions all right um our next legislative meeting is March our next meeting which is the legislative meeting is March 5th they'll probably be a committee of the whole at the start there being no further business the time is 11:49 a.m. and this meeting is adjourned