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D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) applauded the launch this month of a new assistance program for District seniors who are at risk of foreclosure due to unpaid property taxes after taking out a reverse mortgage. The program was created out of the Reverse Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2017, a bill that Councilmember Silverman introduced last council period and worked to fund in this year’s budget.

“This program means that a senior is no longer at risk of losing their longtime home simply because they were unaware or unable due to declining health to pay property taxes and other home related expenses,” said Silverman.

The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a performance oversight hearing on Friday, March 1, at 10:00am in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) to discuss the following agencies:

• Department of Employment Services (government witnesses)
• Workforce Investment Council (government witnesses)

The agenda, witness list, and testimony from the Executive witnesses are available below:

Responses to pre-hearing performance questions can be found here. http://dccouncil.us/labor-and-workforce-development/. Public witnesses presented testimony on Wednesday, February 27.

The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a performance oversight hearing on Wednesday, February 26, beginning at 10:00am in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) to discuss the following agencies:

• Department of Employment Services (public witnesses)
• Workforce Investment Council (public witnesses)

Government witnesses will be testifying on Friday, March 1, at 10am in Room 500, and responses to pre-hearing performance questions can be found here: http://dccouncil.us/labor-and-workforce-development/ 

The agenda and witness list are available here: Agenda_and_witness_list__PO_hearing_DOES__WIC__public_witnesses__02-27-19.docx

Weather permitting, the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a performance oversight hearing on Wednesday, February 20, at 10:00am in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). The hearing will focus on the following agencies:

• Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining
• Department of Human Resources

The draft agenda and witness list, as well as the executive branch testimonies, are below:

The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a performance oversight hearing on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 1:00pm in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) regarding the following agencies:

• Public Employee Relations Board
• Office of Employee Appeals

The draft agenda and witness list, as well as the executive branch testimonies, are below:

• Agenda_and_witness_list__PERB_and_OEA_performance_hearing__02-14-19.docx
• OEA_PO_2019_testimony.pdf
• PERB_PO_2019_testimony.docx

The pre-hearing performance responses are available at http://dccouncil.us/labor-and-workforce-development/.

Dear Resident,

I am amazed we are already in mid-February!

This year, our office is celebrating Black History Month both at the Wilson Building and in the community! I hope you’ll join us for one or both events. On Friday, Feb. 22, from 2:15-3:15pm, the Council will host its annual program at the Wilson Building. Then on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 2:00-3:30pm, I invite you to join me at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum for a docent-led tour of the museum’s latest exhibit, A Right to the City. The exhibit takes an in-depth look at how Washingtonians have shaped and reshaped six neighborhoods over the last five decades, with a special lens on the African-American experience. The tour will be followed by a reception and a DC Strings performance of notable works composed by African-American writers. It’s a great way to celebrate Black History Month, learn more about our city, and build community while enjoying music and munchies. I hope you will make plans to join us!

D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) yesterday introduced legislation that would help District residents afford higher education by making low-interest student loans available through a new D.C.-backed finance authority, as well as a bill to shine more light on how D.C. government decides to spend taxpayer dollars on affordable housing development.

“Lowering student loan debt not only makes higher education more affordable, but it also helps our residents save and work toward other life goals, such as renting or buying a home,” Silverman said. “These bills might not seem related, but they are: We need to make sure when residents work hard in school and get a job they want, there’s housing in this city that they can afford.”

The Department of Employment Services (DOES) released the first quarterly report of 2019 on implementation of the District's paid family leave program, pursuant to reporting requirements in Law 21-264, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016. The Office of Paid Family Leave will be housed within DOES and oversee planning, developing, and administering the program.

You can read the 2019 Q1 progress report here.

Past progress reports are available here:

• Paid Family Leave 2018 Q1 Progress Report
• Paid Family Leave 2018 Q2 Progress Report
• Paid Family Leave 2018 Q3 Progress Report
• Paid Family Leave 2018 Q4 Progress Report

The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will convene a public oversight roundtable on the Implementation of Law 21-264, the Universal Paid Leave Act on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 beginning at 1:30pm in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW). The law establishes a paid leave system to provide partial wage replacement for District residents in need of leave from work due to serious family illness, personal medical leave, or care for a new child.

Please see hearing materials included below: