Dear Neighbor,
As we move through the fall, I continue to hold oversight hearings to ensure our agencies are performing to the highest standards as District residents deserve, to identify needed improvements in performance, and to catalyze those improvements. You can catch up on my fall schedule for oversight and legislation in the newsletter section of my website.
Violence Interruption Programs
This past Monday, I held a public oversight roundtable regarding the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s (ONSE’s) management of violence intervention (VI) grants. You can watch my opening statement here.
During the roundtable, I was focused on how we got here, how our grants have been disbursed and monitored, the status of the Executive’s internal investigation, and on giving the public a greater understanding of where things stand with ONSE.
VI is a critical part of our public safety ecosystem. Working in partnership with community-based organizations, VI workers do the exceptionally hard work of building relationships with community members, mentoring people at high-risk of being a victim or perpetrator of violence, deescalating conflicts, and facilitating ceasefires & mediations. My key takeaways from Monday's hearing on ONSE's VI program: (1) the need for more ONSE oversight & grant compliance (2) what we need for successful implementation of our VI programs. There is still much work to be done and you can read a full debrief of my takeaways here.
Legislative Update
In addition to the Committee work and schedule, I want to give you an update on my legislation to retain our first responders and another bill to correct a misguided policy from the budget pertaining to taxation of municipal bonds – an investment made by many residents including seniors and an avenue to pursue stable interest income by many in retirement.
Retention of Public Safety Employees: Over the last several years, maintaining appropriate staffing levels in our District public safety agencies has become an increasing challenge. Both Fire & EMS and MPD have struggled with staffing shortages and the significant overtime pressures that result from being short-staffed. This is not just a District issue; staffing shortages within fire and police departments have become a major concern across the entire Metropolitan area.
This week there was a hearing on my bill the Deferred Retirement Option Program Amendment Act of 2024 that aims to tackle these staffing issues, specifically by focusing on improving the retention of our most experienced firefighters and police officers. This bill proposes establishing a Deferred Retirement Option Program, or DROP, which will allow retirement-eligible members of FEMS and MPD to continue serving for up to three years beyond their normal retirement date while still accessing their retirement benefits. This is a crucial step in the right direction and will help both agencies retain institutional knowledge and ensure that both Departments maintain high standards of service and continue to operate effectively, even as newer staff come on board. You can read the full bill here.
Fairness in Taxation and Investing: This fall I introduced the “Fair Taxation of Municipal Bonds Amendment Act of 2024” which would fix what I consider a misguided policy enacted in this past budget. The bill would exclude from taxation out-of-state municipal bonds acquired prior to January 1, 2025.
Municipal bonds are a key investment tool used in retirement planning because they promise a modest but stable return for a secure future. Income from out-of-state municipal bond interest has always been exempt from District taxes, and so many retirees planned for retirement with this understanding in mind. However, the enactment of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024 (“FY25 BSA”) brings a drastic change to those plans: all interest earned on out-of-state municipal bonds starting on January 1, 2025, will be subject to taxation in the District. While this change attempted to bring the District in line with many other states on how municipal bonds are taxed, it failed to protect the careful planning of many residents, including many of our seniors. My bill gives residents the assurances they deserve by grandfathering bonds acquired before January 1, 2025 so that residents are assured of their investments.
Committee Hearings
The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety continues to move forward its busy fall agenda with hearings on important legislation and oversight before the end of the Council period in December. Here’s a round-up of what is coming up next:
- October 21st: Hearing on Safe and Supported Pregnancy and Delivery for Incarcerated Individuals Amendment Act of 2024; Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024; The Firearm Suicide Prevention (Donna’s Law) Amendment Act of 2024
- October 23rd: Hearing on Transparency in Emergency Response Amendment Act of 2024; Childcare for First Responders Act of 2024
- October 23rd: The 2nd of 3 oversight hearings on OUC/911 Call Center will focus on staffing shortages, recruitment, and retention at the Office of Unified Communications
More information on these hearings and instructions on how to sign-up to testify and submit written testimony can be found here.
Additional Important Hearings
- October 24th: A hearing will be 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. More information on this hearing and instructions on how to sign-up to testify and submit written testimony can be found here.
- October 22nd: The Committee on Housing will have an oversight hearing on the DC Housing Authority to evaluate performance and receive updates on the three-year recovery plan. The DC Housing Authority serves an important function of housing DC residents and oversight hearings are critical to ensuring DCHA is serving residents and increasing capacity. Learn more here.
Yom Kippur: Today, I want to wish the Jewish community in DC and around the world an easy fast and meaningful Day of Atonement as Yom Kippur begins this evening at sundown. G’mar Chatima Tovah. The District remains committed to ensuring safety around our places of worship and throughout our city throughout the High Holiday season.
Indigenous Peoples Day: I also want to wish everyone a happy Indigenous People’s Day. On Monday, we mark Indigenous People’s Day and honor the Nacotchtank people native to the area at the intersection of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. You can learn more about the rich cultural history of these indigenous people here.
Yours in Service,
Brooke
The Georgetowner: Catching up with Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto full story on page 15 of the online magazine.
Washington Post D.C. violence intervention programs scrutinized amid bribery probe Pinto stressed that the recent allegations involving White and the two organizations should not reflect on dozens of other violence interrupters ... In violence intervention, in which employees known as “violence interrupters” seek to defuse neighborhood conflicts, many work long, unpredictable hours in stressful, oftentimes dangerous environments. Still, Pinto said, the programs are in serious need of “much more oversight and a stronger adherence to consistency and best practices,” to ensure the violence interrupters are effective.
The Georgetowner Pinto Checking 911 Center Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto recently made an unannounced visit to the Office of Unified Communication’s 911 call center, aiming to increase the transparency of its day-to-day operations and foster improvements in D.C.’s emergency response system.?She plans to make additional visits.
The Washington Informer Oversight Round Table Delves into Violence Interruption Grant Management In 2022, the Office of the D.C. Auditor released a report saying that ONSE fulfilled the reporting requirements to fully assess the Pathways Program. However, as explained in the report, the impact of ONSE’s violence interruption efforts remains unclear. Other concerns outlined in the report included violence interrupters falling short in consistently establishing close ties with community leaders. Pinto, in but so many words, echoed those sentiments on Oct. 7, saying that violence interrupter training will create the foundation for conversations about pay and benefit
Washington Post D.C. finally made strangulation a felony. Prosecuting it is challenging. “Strangulation is a serious offense and can be a key indicator of future lethal violence in domestic and intimate partner situations,” said council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), the sponsor of the legislation. “By establishing a stand-alone felony offense for strangulation, we have enabled the District to better hold individuals who engage in this conduct accountable and hopefully prevent future harm.”