District of Columbia Bills

This resolution confirms the reappointment of Matthew Bell as an architect member of the Historic Preservation Review Board for a term ending July 21, 2028. It directly affects Mr. Bell, who has been nominated for this specific board position established under the Historic Landmark and Historic Protection Act. The resolution follows standard procedural steps for board confirmations in the District of Columbia, requiring Council approval to finalize his appointment. This is a routine confirmation process, not a new policy or substantive legislative change.

This bill makes several temporary changes to District laws. It shifts fare evasion citation adjudication to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (affecting public transit users), allows Metropolitan Police recruits to count up to 20 training credits toward their education requirement, and updates criminal code definitions (like broadening theft thresholds to include property "of any value" and adding waste disposal categories). It also creates exceptions to pretrial detention for robbery without injury and second-degree burglary. These changes apply to District residents, police applicants, and individuals facing specific criminal charges.

This bill temporarily requires the District of Columbia Department of Corrections to provide special education services (under IDEA and DC law) to young adults with disabilities aged 18-21 who are held in its secure facilities during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. It amends two existing laws to add this obligation as a new duty for the Corrections Department during these specific school terms. The requirement expires 225 days after the bill takes effect, making it a short-term measure.

This bill is a procedural resolution appointing Dr. Maria J. Donoghue Velleca to fill a vacancy on the District of Columbia Judicial Disabilities and Tenure Commission. It replaces Dr. Patrick Jackson as a nonlawyer member for the remainder of an unexpired 6-year term ending May 5, 2029. The resolution formally names Dr. Velleca (a Ward 2 resident and Georgetown University professor) and directs the Council to transmit the appointment to relevant parties. As a purely administrative appointment resolution, it does not create new policy or affect legislation.

This bill temporarily amends the Juvenile Curfew Act of 1995 to set standard curfew hours from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily and expand the curfew to apply to all juveniles under 18 (previously under 17). It allows the Mayor to temporarily extend curfew hours beyond standard times for public safety, and the Chief of Police to designate specific zones with extended curfew hours, both limited to 4 consecutive days (with possible 30-day total extensions). Police must issue at least one verbal warning before arrest and provide time to disperse, with strict limits on when extensions can begin (no earlier than 8 p.m.) or end (no later than 6 a.m.). The bill directly affects juveniles aged 17 and under in Washington, D.C., during temporary curfew extensions.

This bill provides temporary tax relief for Avanti Real Estate Services, LLC by authorizing the Chief Financial Officer to forgive up to $377,000 in real property taxes, penalties, and fees for a specific property at 3421 14th Street, N.W. (Lot 123, Square 2836) in Ward 1. The relief applies only if the property is occupied by Avanti and used for its stated purposes: providing real estate services, promoting homeownership, employing District residents, and offering industry training. The tax relief is temporary, expiring 225 days after enactment, and cancels any pending tax sales for the property. This is a targeted, one-time adjustment for a specific property, not a new tax policy.

This bill clarifies the legal definition of a "private vehicle-for-hire operator" in Washington, D.C.'s transportation law. It specifically defines such operators as individuals using a company's digital dispatch system to provide passenger rides, directly affecting ride-hailing drivers and companies like Uber or Lyft operating in the District. The amendment temporarily updates the 1985 Department of For-Hire Vehicles Act to explicitly include digital dispatch in the definition, effective March 1, 2024. The change expires 225 days after enactment and does not create new regulations or fees.

This bill requires large residential and mixed-use housing projects (50,000+ square feet) receiving funding from the District’s Housing Production Trust Fund to meet net zero energy and net zero carbon standards by 2026. It directs the Department to report every six months on progress toward developing universal net zero energy building regulations, including barriers and potential law changes. The requirements are temporary, expiring after 225 days or when final regulations under the Clean Energy DC Building Code Act are issued. The bill also removes existing net zero energy compliance provisions for residential/mixed-use projects under the Green Building Act of 2006.

This bill temporarily exempts 97% of the property owned by Food & Friends, Inc. at 219 Riggs Road, NE (Lot 0005, Square 3766) from real property taxes. The exemption applies only as long as the property is used for charitable food distribution or related services, with 3% of the land remaining taxable. The exemption is temporary, taking effect October 1, 2025, and expires 225 days after implementation. It directly affects Food & Friends, Inc., the nonprofit operator of the property.

This resolution approves transferring 165,294 square feet of land and 5,653 square feet of air rights from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia. The land, part of U.S. Reservations 343-C and 343-D (also known as Lot 800 in Square 5600), will support the 11th Street Bridge Park project. The transfer is authorized under a 1932 law governing land jurisdiction in D.C. and enables the District to proceed with the elevated park connecting Washington Navy Yard to Anacostia Park.

This bill extends deadlines for the Prearrest Diversion Task Force, which studies diverting certain misdemeanor cases from arrest. It changes the initial recommendations deadline to June 2025 (from an earlier date) and the final recommendations deadline to July 31, 2026. The task force focuses on specific misdemeanor offenses and categories of people. The bill also includes minor updates to probate law, allowing notices to be published in general circulation newspapers instead of requiring only "legal periodicals." These changes are temporary, expiring 225 days after enactment.