Dear Neighbor,
This week was full of important hearings both in the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety and across the Council. In this newsletter, I will provide an update on some of these hearings as well as share information about emergency legislation I introduced that will receive a vote at the next legislative meeting on Tuesday, October 29th.
Supporting Women and Children
Domestic violence and intimate partner violence is experienced by an estimated 40% of District women. This October, as we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we pause to honor victims and survivors and reaffirm our commitment to ending domestic violence and providing resources to those who have suffered and continue to suffer. If you need help or know someone who needs help, you can call the DC Domestic Violence hotline at 1-844-443-5732.
(Councilmember Pinto presents ceremonial resolution naming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month)
Earlier this week I heard powerful testimony on the Safe and Supported Pregnancy and Delivery for Incarcerated Individuals Amendment Act of 2024 and my Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024. In the wise words of Indira Henard of the DC Rape Crisis Center, "Protecting children should be everyone’s business. It should be a forethought; not an afterthought.” We must keep our children as a forethought and ban child marriage in the District. We must also provide adequate support and protections for pregnant women and individuals who are incarcerated.
Staffing at our Public Safety Agencies
This week I held the second in a series of oversight hearings on the Office of Unified Communications (“OUC”) to discuss in detail issues with staffing shortages, recruitment, and retention at the District’s 911 call center and how OUC is addressing them. Ongoing training, attention to mental health, increased compensation, and filling vacancies will all help to address staffing concerns at OUC. At the hearing, Director McGaffin reiterated that OUC is on track to be fully staffed early next year. I will continue to work with the Executive to ensure that our 911 call center is accurate, transparent, and fast – as District residents expect and deserve.
At this hearing, I also received testimony on my bills the “Transparency in Emergency Response Amendment Act of 2024” to provide more public disclosure and agency review after errors or incidents occur, and Bill 25-954, the “Childcare for First Responders Act of 2024” to better empower our hard working first responders to stay at work as they grow their families.
This week a hearing was also held on my bill the “Government Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023” aims to address issues with hiring and recruitment across District agencies, with a particular focus on vacancies among mission-critical positions in our public safety agencies.
(Councilmember Pinto attended a hearing this week on the DC Housing Authority. Listen to her opening remarks here.)
Emergency Legislation: Protecting Residents in their Homes
Yesterday, I introduced emergency legislation to address ongoing concerns of demonstrations targeting individual residences with excessive amplified sound and the throwing of projectiles as intimidation tactics. The bill is expected to be voted on by the Council next week on Tuesday, October 29th.
We must protect the fundamental right to protest and express one’s views— a value we carry forward proudly in the District of Columbia and in our country. We also must ensure the reasonable expectations of residents that their homes be protected from significant excessively loud disruptions and threatening actions when they are in their homes — impacts that can be felt by entire communities. I believe we must get this balance right and I spoke with WUSA 9 and Fox 5 about why my emergency bill needs to be passed.
Lastly, my team will be at Mitchell Park Fall Fun Day this Sunday, October 27th from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. and we hope to see you there to discuss any legislative or constituent services concerns you may have!
Yours in Service,
Brooke
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Mayor Bowser Announces New Round of Safe Commercial Corridors Grants: This program was originally established in Fiscal Year 2024 budget by Councilmember Brooke Pinto who serves as chairwoman of the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety.
Axios D.C. child marriages have increased. This new bill wants to end them “[Councilmember Brooke Pinto] introduced the Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024 last month, which aims to make 18 the age of consent for D.C. marriage and to restrict anyone under 18 from getting a marriage license, without exceptions. At a council hearing for the bill Monday, local survivors of child marriage testified about their experiences.”
WUSA 9 'It's stressful' | Workers at DC's 911 call center voice staffing shortages concerns Pinto said she remains focused on working with the executive to draft a bill that meets with the concerns from District residents. "We are crafting a transparency law that does give the public the right to this information when they need it," Pinto said.
WUSA 9 Video shows confrontations over protester noise in DC neighborhood, emergency bill filed to address complaints DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto introduced emergency legislation Thursday to address the concerns of neighbors who say they are under siege from unnecessarily loud protests near their homes, with noise levels that often exceed 100 decibels.
Fox 5 DC bill aims to limit protests in residential areas The D.C. Council is considering a new emergency bill that would restrict protests in residential areas, following years of demonstrations outside homes that have disturbed local neighborhoods.
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Election day – November 5th – is less than two weeks away.
Voter Registration: Same-day voter registration is available at any Vote Center during Early Voting & on Election Day with proof of DC residence. Learn more at http://dcboe.org/registertovote If you are a member of the military or voting from overseas, the Federal Voting Assistance Program has information on registration and absentee voting here.
Casting your ballot: You can vote by using your mail-in-ballot or by voting in person early or on election day. Instructions on how to fill out your mail-in-ballot can be found here.
Mail-in-ballot: The DC Board of Elections has mailed ballots to registered voters. If you have not received your mail-in-ballot but expect to be away on Election Day, you can request a ballot here. There are several ways to cast your vote by mail-in-ballot: dropping at a drop box, returning it to your letter carrier, dropping at a USPS post office or mailbox, or at any vote center. All instructions can be found here. You may drop your mail-in-ballot in any Ballot Drop Box at any time until 8:00 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th. You can find a full list of Ballot Drop Box locations across the District here. You may also drop your mail-in-ballot at any Early Voting or Election Day Voting Center.
In person: You can vote in person at any Early Voting Center or any Election Day Voting Center. Voters may cast their ballots at any vote center regardless of their residential address. Early Vote Centers will be open from Monday, October 28 through Sunday, November 3, between the hours of 8:30 am and 7:00 pm. You can find the Early Voting Centers here. Election Day Voting Centers will be open Tuesday, November 5th from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm. You can find Election Day Voting Centers here.
Accessibility: The DC Board of Elections has a number of resources to make voting accessible including language access, curbside voting, Accessible Remote Ballot Marking System to facilitate voters with disabilities to vote independently and privately, among others. For more information visit here. For any additional questions about voting, you can reach the DC Board of Elections at https://dcboe.org/ or 1-866-DC-VOTES.
Leaf Collection Season is Coming! Collection will begin on October 28th, 2024 for DPW-serviced households. To access information regarding this year’s Leaf Collection, please click this link to visit DPW’s Leaf Collection page on our website. Once collections begin, visit https://dpw.dc.gov/leaf to track leaf collection weekly. Download the MyDPW App leaf collection updates!
Sidewalk Shoveling Exemption The Sidewalk Shoveling Exemption Program (SSEP) exempts qualified residents from enforcement by DPW for not removing snow and ice from their sidewalks within the first eight hours of daylight after the end of a winter storm. The exemption is valid for two consecutive snow seasons. Once approved, residents must apply every other year to DPW to continue to receive the exemption. The application is due October 31, 2024. Click here to apply for the Sidewalk Shoveling Exemption.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides an opportunity for the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid use disorder from ever starting. There will be 13 collection sites across the District. Please see list of sites here: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday.
Downtown Holiday Market: The Downtown Holiday Market will be held from November 22 – December 23, 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m. on F Street NW (Between 7th and 9th Streets NW). I recently joined our public safety partners to share how our investments in the budget (like the Safe Commercial Corridors Grant program I launched) will help keep visitors safe throughout the holiday season.
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