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Dear Resident,

Starting today, the D.C. Council joins many of our public schools and public charter schools in taking a summer break — or legislative recess, as we call it. This means there will be no official D.C. Council legislative business for the next nine weeks: No Council hearings, markups, or legislative meetings. This doesn’t mean we completely shut down: My staff and I will be taking vacation time for sure, but we’ll also be brainstorming, researching, writing, doing site visits, and holding our own meetings in and out of the office to put together our fall legislative agenda. Please send along your ideas!

Though we officially kick off summer July 15, I always feel summer unofficially kicks off with the July 4 parades. For all those who say D.C. is a transient town lacking identity, they haven’t been to the Barracks Row or Palisades Independence Day celebrations. It was fantastic seeing so many of you on the parade routes—and if we missed saying hi or you missed the cameo appearance by Teddy Roosevelt at Barracks Row and our award-winning Wonder Woman theme in the Palisades (yes, we actually did win an award)—take a look back at pictures from the day on my office Facebook page!

While we work on getting a head start for the fall, I’ll be taking some vacation time to visit family and friends who live out of the District. I’ll also be taking an adult swim class at Anacostia pool with our Department of Parks and Recreation so I can use the inflatable kayak I just got to explore the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers more. I’ll be sending email updates a little less frequently until the Council gets going again in September, but keep reading to see what’s new and what exciting things are coming up!

Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) today introduced legislation to comprehensively assess how the District spends an estimated $100 million on workforce development, detailing not only spending but performance outcomes to determine the programs and providers which succeed at placing residents into good jobs and keeping them there, and which ones do not.

“We need to be strategic and work with our big and small businesses to be a good match maker—being empirically outcome driven—so that we fund programs that lead to long-term, living-wage employment,” said Silverman. “Almost every day, I meet with D.C. employers who say they simply can’t find D.C. residents qualified to fill their jobs, and we can’t sit idly by and let that happen anymore.”

Dear Resident,

Happy Fourth of July! My staff and I are getting excited about joining neighbors tomorrow at the 16th Annual Barracks Row 4th of July Parade and the Palisades Citizens Association's 51st Annual July 4th Parade and Picnic.

Neighborhood Parades: If you're interested in walking with us tomorrow, please do! For Barracks Row, half of my office will meet at 9:30 a.m. at 8th and I Streets SE. For Palisades, the other half will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Whitehaven Pkwy NW (between Foxhall Rd and MacArthur Blvd behind The Lab School of Washington). All you need to bring is your patriotism—and maybe your dancing shoes.

I have been looking forward to this hearing for a long time.

First, thank you to Councilmember Grosso and his staff for introducing versions of a small donor match bill in 2013 and in 2015. I think with this bill in 2017, the third time’s a charm. I am thrilled to see nine colleagues co-introduce this version.

Thank you, as well, to Chairman Allen, for prioritizing this legislation and the additional campaign finance bills you will be holding a hearing on in coming days.

My biggest thanks is to the many DC residents who have collected signatures, door-knocked, phone-called, and worked so hard to make campaign finance reform of urgent importance. I have some insight into how difficult a task this is when I worked with some of you in the very hot summer of 2012 to bring a voter initiative to the ballot, Initiative 70, which would have allowed only individuals to contribute to candidates in DC elections. I am still a believer in that approach, because I think that it is fair, transparent, and simple to enforce. Yet I am equally enthusiastic about a small-donor match program because in states and cities where it has been implemented it has proven to achieve several reforms desperately needed in the District of Columbia:

On Tuesday, June 27, the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a committee mark-up on the following nominations at 2:00 p.m. in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW):

• Office of Employee Appeals Jelani Freeman Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0313)
• Public Employee Relations Board Mary Ann Gibbons Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0361)

The following attachments are available for reference:

• Labor_Committee_MARK-UP_Agenda__06-27-2017.docx
• LWD_Committee_report_PR_22-0361_PERB_Nomination_Gibbons final.pdf
• LWD_Committee_report_PR_22-0313_OEA_Nomination_Freeman final.pdf

On Thursday, June 22, the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a public roundtable on the following nominations at 10:00 a.m. in Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW):

• Office of Employee Appeals Jelani Freeman Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0313)
• Public Employee Relations Board Mary Ann Gibbons Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0361)
• Public Employee Relations Board Ann Hoffman Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0362)
• Public Employee Relations Board Charles J. Murphy Confirmation Resolution of 2017 (PR 22-0363)

A draft witness list is available here.

Dear Resident,

Summer is finally here! For many with youngsters in their family, summer began with the final days of school last week. Tomorrow, June 21, is the summer solstice, the longest day for those of us north of the equator. However, the D.C. Council remains in session until July 15, so we have a few more weeks of official business left to conduct.

Summer also means that D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is in full summer mode! Summer camps have begun, and D.C.’s outdoor pools are open! A listing of DPR hours is here. As some of you know, I’m a big fan of our outdoor pools; I’ve seen many of you at East Potomac, Hains Point, and Volta Park to name a few regulars of mine. But I will make a confession: I’m not that strong a swimmer, though I love the water and have started to kayak these past two summers on the Anacostia. It’s a bit embarrassing for me, as I never went to a traditional summer camp or learned as a kid. Luckily, our DPR camps have great programs for kids, and DPR has many great learn-to-swim programs for adults. In a bit of self-improvement, and because I was so moved by the story of Zaan Scott, the beloved DPR swim instructor who was tragically murdered, I’ve decided to make learning to swim one of my goals of the summer. Please hold me accountable!

On another sad note for the city, as you may have learned, former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham passed away last week. In a city of big personalities, Jim Graham stood out as one of the most unique and memorable figures in District politics. His impact goes way beyond District borders. He was relentlessly committed to bringing healthcare, legal services, and compassion to the battle against HIV/AIDS as head of the Whitman-Walker Clinic. He was a fierce advocate and leader for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. And he was certainly a champion for his Ward 1 community. I never served with him on the Council, but I did work with him before my time on the Council to make sure our most vulnerable have a place in our city, from creating a local rent supplement program to keeping a focus on homeless services and TANF. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends as the city remembers his legacy and public service.

At-Large D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman today released the following statement after learning of former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham’s passing:

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham. He led a fascinating life: clerking for Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren, later coming out as a gay man and leading the Whitman-Walker Clinic in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and being a champion for not only LGBTQ rights but also equality, inclusion, and diversity on the Council.

I admired his advocacy on behalf of some of our most vulnerable residents, fighting for poor and working families in our city on issues such as TANF. He was also a fierce defender of the needs of Ward 1 and his constituents.

I had a special appreciation for him as a colorful and dramatic figure in our city when I authored Loose Lips for Washington City Paper.

I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) today introduced legislation to get District funds for building and preserving affordable housing into use more quickly. The “Housing Production Trust Fund Advanced Solicitations Amendment Act of 2017” was co-introduced by eight other members: Councilmembers Anita Bonds (D-At Large), David Grosso (I-At Large), Robert White (D-At Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7), and Trayon White (D-Ward 8).

The Housing Production Trust Fund is one of the most important affordable housing programs in the District, but it can take up to two years for approved projects to receive money from the Fund. Under the bill, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) would be able to request applications from developers for funding from the Housing Production Trust Fund starting one fiscal year before the money would be granted. DHCD would then be able to award the money at the start of the next fiscal year—an improvement that moves the application, funding, and building process forward more quickly and efficiently.

Dear Resident,

This Tuesday, we passed the budget! Over the last eight weeks, I’ve worked with my staff, colleagues, advocates, and residents to help craft an FY18 budget that helps working families, workers and jobseekers, adult learners, and small businesses. Thank you for your continued engagement on these issues and others. As I wrote last month, your advocacy and dedication is extremely valuable to me as a legislator and I will continue highlighting these efforts.

This month’s Neighbor(ly) News focus is on George Washington University (GWU) rising junior Adam Graubart. Adam tirelessly advocated for the passage of last year’s paid family leave law and has been focused on ensuring that the bill is fully funded—all while balancing a full academic course load, a leadership role at GWU's Roosevelt Institute Chapter, and participation in the GWU Band. It’s not every day that the Council hears testimony from college students, but it is an important visual reminder for me and my colleagues that all District residents are affected by our legislative decisions. And, it is people like Adam who we want to stay in the District to help keep it thriving. Because of programs like paid family leave, residents like him will want to stay and build their lives here.

Thanks to Adam and the many champions of paid leave, the Council not only passed the law last year but also fully funded the program this week—adding an additional $20 million in the FY18 budget for start-up costs and infrastructure. Keep reading to see what else is included in next year’s budget!