PR 26-0156 Legislature · 26th Council Period (2025-2026)

Open Meetings Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

This resolution clarifies the District of Columbia's Open Meetings Act to address emergency situations. It allows public bodies (like the Council) to hold briefings about threats (terrorist, public health) or budget crises without official action, and exempts Council-Mayor meetings from open meeting rules when no decisions are made. It also requires public bodies to make meetings accessible to the public either live or as soon as reasonably possible after, if live access isn't feasible. The resolution was passed as an emergency measure to enable timely coordination during crises, citing budget cuts and negotiations requiring confidential preparation.

Tags: Emergency Management

Bill status signed all 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Council Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Mar 28, 2025 Signed Apr 1, 2025

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What changed between versions

Introduction → Enrollment · 8 edits

MODERATE

This document shows the transition of a legislative bill from its introduction stage to enrolled status. The primary changes involve formatting updates, citation corrections, and minor text refinements rather than substantive policy modifications. The bill's core purpose remains unchanged: clarifying open meetings laws to allow confidential briefings during emergencies while maintaining public transparency for official actions.

TECHNICAL

Header information changed from introduction format with Councilmember signatures to enrolled format with resolution number 26-91 and date April 1, 2025

Section 2(a) citation updated to include official code reference (D.C. Official Code § 2-571 et seq.) and changed 'the Open Meetings Amendment Act of 2010' to 'The Open Meetings Act' for consistency

Section 2(b) minor punctuation changes: added Oxford comma in 'consider, conduct, or advise' and changed 'ANC' to 'Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners ("ANC")' for clarity

Section 2(d) punctuation correction: changed 'Congress' passage' to 'Congress's passage' for possessive grammar

Section 2(e) and 2(f) renumbered to 2(e) and 2(g) respectively, with minor punctuation adjustments including adding Oxford commas in lists

Section 3 title changed from 'Amendment Act of 2025' to 'Emergency Amendment Act of 2025' for accuracy

Section 3 text changed 'The Council determines' to 'The Council of the District of Columbia determines' for formality

Page numbering and formatting adjusted from introduction draft to enrolled version with proper spacing and alignment

Floor votes · Council Apr 1, 2025

How they voted

12–0

Passed

Total votes 12

Apr 1, 2025

D Democratic10

10 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

Apr 1, 2025

Council · Passed

Council Vote: pass (12-0)

council

Mar 28, 2025

Introduced

PR26-0156 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

legislature

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors