B 26-0407 Legislature · 26th Council Period (2025-2026)

Strengthening Capacity and Transparency at DYRS Amendment Act of 2025

This bill (B 26-0407, "Strengthening Capacity and Transparency at DYRS Amendment Act of 2025") requires the District of Columbia's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to publicly report detailed population data about youth at the Youth Services Center and New Beginnings Youth Development Center. Key provisions include publishing daily counts by race/age/status, average stay lengths, admission patterns, confinement incidents, and recidivism metrics (measuring reoffending rates within three years of release). It also mandates the Mayor to submit a one-year plan within 120 days to reduce the Youth Services Center population to a maximum of 90 youth and prevent future overcrowding. The bill directly affects DYRS operations, youth in custody, and the public through increased transparency about facility conditions and outcomes.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics: Juvenile Justice

Bill status signed all 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Jan 2026

Council Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Oct 6, 2025 Signed Jun 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossment → Enrollment · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill transitioned from an 'Engrossed' draft to an 'Enrolled' final version, incorporating amendments to address persistent overcrowding at the Youth Services Center. The most significant change is the addition of a new subsection (d) requiring the Mayor to submit a one-year action plan within 120 days to permanently reduce the juvenile population to or below maximum capacity. Additionally, the bill's effective date was updated to reflect its passage in 2026, and the applicability section was expanded to include formal certification and publication requirements by the Chief Financial Officer and Budget Director.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by adding a mandatory requirement for the Mayor to submit a specific action plan to address overcrowding, which was not explicitly detailed in the previous version. The applicability section was also modified to include procedural steps for certifying and publishing the fiscal impact.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the Mayor to submit a one-year action plan to the Council within 120 days to address overcrowding and reduce the juvenile population at the Youth Services Center to capacity limits.

TIMELINE

Updated the bill's effective date and citation year from 2025 to 2026 to reflect the final enrollment and passage date.

TECHNICAL

Added new subsections to the applicability section requiring the Chief Financial Officer to certify fiscal inclusion and the Budget Director to publish that certification in the District of Columbia Register.

Refined the text of the enacted law to include the specific date of passage (March 31, 2026) and the official title of the act in the applicability clause.

Floor votes · Council Mar 31, 2026

How they voted

13–0

Passed

Total votes 13

Mar 31, 2026

D Democratic11

11 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 31, 2026

Council · Passed

Council Vote: pass (13-0)

council

Jan 27, 2026

Legislature · Passed

Committee Mark-up of B26-0407 by the Youth Affairs Committee

legislature

Oct 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Committee on Youth Affairs

legislature

Oct 6, 2025

Introduced

B26-0407 Introduced by Councilmember Parker at Office of the Secretary

legislature

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors