Unemployment Insurance Hearing: September 16, 2020

On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), Chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a Public Oversight Hearing on on the District’s unemployment compensation program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hearing aired on the DC Council's Live Stream channel and TV Channel 13. The official hearing announcement can be found here.

The government witness portion of the hearing with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) was reschedule for September 30 at 3:00pm. The hearing can be viewed on the DC Council's Live Stream channel and on TV Channel 13.

DC workers and others interested in submitting their thoughts or official testimony for the record can do so in two ways:

1. Written and voicemail statements submitted by email to [email protected] or by calling 202-455-0153.
2. Filling our our new online survey. You can choose to submit your survey responses as official testimony, or just use the survey to provide feedback to the Committee and Councilmember Silverman to inform and improve their work with the Department of Employment Services (DOES).

The deadline for survey responses and formal testimony submission is October 7, 2020.

The hearing agenda, list of witnesses, and testimonies can be found here and below.

Witnesses:

• Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes, DOES Director, government witness (appearance rescheduled to 9/30)
  
  • UI Roundtable Followup Responses (10/30/2020)
  • DOES Federal Funding Expenditures (followup to Question 11) (10/30/2020)
  • Copy of DOES' 3/20/2020 Letter to Congress (10/30/2020)
  • Responses to pre-hearing questions
  • UI claim statistics through 8/1/2020
  • PUA claim statistics through 8/1/2020

1. Maya Sheppard, Managing Attorney, Economic Security Unit, Neighborhood Legal Services Program
2. Tilahun Zewdie Hailemeskel, public witness
3. Thomas Kennerly, public witness
4. Drake Hagner, Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
5. Adela Perez Guzman, public witness
6. Cynthia Spencer, public witness
7. Sam Epps, Political Director, Unite Here! Local 25
8. Ronnisha Martin, Intake Officer, Unite Here! Local 25
9. Robert Duker, public witness
10. John Purification, public witness
11. Freddy Wiggins, public witness
12. Vontanell Tillman, public witness
13. Nataki Edison, public witness
14. Taalib-Din Uqdah, public witness
15. Lisa Kaneff, Founder, Freelance DC
16. Laura Gardner, public witness
17. Daniel Katz, Senior Counsel, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
18. Bridgette Davis, public witness
19. Sam Bonar, public witness
20. Shelley Sims, public witness
21. Lori Wallach, public witness
22. Zachary Hoffman, Executive Vice President, D.C. Bar and Restaurant Workers Alliance 
23. Michael Haresign, public witness
24. Andrew Shapiro, public witness
25. Aubrey McKithen, public witness
26. Mark Lee, Coordinator, D.C. Nightlife Council 
27. Laura Brown, Executive Director. First Shift Justice Project
28. Shaheen Robinson, public witness
29. Jordan Weissman, Senior Business and Economics Correspondent, Slate
30. Nicole DelCasale, public witness
31. Dia King, public witness
32. Keith Miller, public witness
33. Gregory Allen, public witness
34. Akin ‘AK’ Adams, public witness
35. Glorianna Flanagan, public witness 
36. Yvetta Limon, public witness
37. Danielle Corbin, DC Jobs With Justice    
38. Alex Kirshner, public witness 
39. Trupti J. Patel, public witness
40. Ho Chun (“Matt”), Owner & President, Twelve 22
41. William Shelton, President, Hire from DC
42. Amy Nelson, Director of Legal Services, Whitman-Walker Health
43. Timothy A. Macek, public witness
44. Hamere Taye, public witness
45. Sarah M. Sherry, public witness
46. David Taboh, public witness