I'm calling to order this meeting.

This is an additional meeting of the Committee of the Whole of the Council of the District of Columbia.

I am Phil Mendelson, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee of the Whole.

Today is March 31st, 2026.

The time is 118 in the afternoon.

We are in room 500, the Council Chambers of the John A.

Wilson Building.

This meeting is being recorded.

It's available to the public on Council Cable table on cable channel 13.

It's also available on the council's website, www.dccouncil.gov.

That is to say that anybody who wants to watch this live is able to do so in, I believe either those uh platforms, uh cable 13 or the council's website.

And uh the meeting is being recorded, so it's available any time somebody wants to look it up.

Um this is an additional meeting of the committee of the whole.

Uh we have, I believe it's five or six measures for markup in the committee of the whole, and then roughly uh ten measures that were reported out of other committees.

This meeting will be followed by a legislative meeting, which is our regular monthly meeting for the month of April.

And if anybody says today's March 31st, that's correct.

But this is our April regular meeting for the month of April.

Uh we begin our committee of the whole meetings determining whether we have a quorum.

Mr.

Cash, would you call the roll?

Chairman Mendelssohn.

Present.

Councilmember Allen.

Here.

Councilmember Bonds.

Here.

Councilmember Crawford.

Here.

Councilmember Felder.

Present.

Councilmember Fruman.

Present.

Councilmember Henderson.

Here.

Councilmember Lewis George.

Here.

Councilmember Nadeau.

Here.

Councilmember Parker.

Here.

Councilmember Pinto.

Present.

Councilmember Robert White.

Present.

Councilmember Trion White.

Present.

Mr.

Chairman, you have a quorum.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Cash.

The first measure for markup in the committee of the whole is PR 26 549, District of Columbia State Athletics Commission.

Barbara Jones confirmation resolution of 2026.

This resolution would confirm the mayor's nomination of Miss Barbara Jones to appointment as a voting member of the District of Columbia State Athletics Commission for term to end November 16, 2028.

Also, it recommends changes to and annually approves the association's handbook.

It establishes athletic appeals panels to hear appeals from LEA decisions related to participant eligibility and decisions of the state athletic association and issues final decisions of such panels.

It advises the mayor of the council, the it advises the mayor, the office of the state superintendent of education, and the council on matters related to interscholastic athletics, and it recommends rules to regulate interscholastic athletics programs and competitions.

The commission uh is consists of nine voting members who must be residents of the district and are appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

There are also six ex officio nonvoting members.

Uh Miss Barbara Jones is a resident of Ward 8, a proud Washington, D.C.

native.

She brings decades of experience in public service, community advocacy, and leadership across both the public and private sectors.

She has served in the di served the district in numerous capacities, including more than 30 years with the Department of Human Services, where she recommended and executed operational improvements to enhance service delivery.

She is also the president and CEO of Reservation 7, a long-standing member of the Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture.

She has two Bachelor of Science degrees in public health administration and biology, as well as a Master of Science and Counseling, all from UDC.

She has extensive record of community leadership.

She is nominated to be a voting member of the District of Columbia State Athletics Commission for the remainder of a term ending November 16, 2028.

This resolution was introduced at the request of the mayor on February 20th.

The committee of the whole held a public round table on March 13th, and the committees received no testimony or comments comments in opposition to the nomination.

Without objection, I move both the print and report with leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes.

Is there discussion?

The vote will be on both the print and report with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

Madam General Counsel, is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, it is.

Madam Secretary is the record complete.

Once the report is filed.

And Madam Budget Director, there would be no fiscal impact statement because it's a confirmation resolution.

Correct.

Without objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

The second measure on the agenda for markup is Bill 26-57, Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act of 2026.

We do not have a fiscal impact statement for that bill yet.

ORA has been preoccupied with other the budget support act for the mayor.

So I'm not moving that today.

So the next measure after that is Bill 26-227 entitled The One Front Door Amendment Act of 2026.

What this bill does is it uh requires the promulgation of regulations amending the district's construction codes to allow for a single entrance or egress stairway to serve multifamily residential properties up to six stories above grade plane.

So we are all used to buildings with two entrance exits, egress ingress two, and this would allow for one.

Reading from the report, in 1938, New York City amended its building code to allow for the construction of single-stair multi-family buildings up to 75 feet high, provided that these structures complied with square footage and egress design requirements.

Until the late 1970s, New York City was the only jurisdiction that allowed such buildings to be constructed.

But circumstances in Seattle took a turn for the worse, leading policymakers down a similar road.

In the early 1970s, the city of Seattle experienced a significant economic downturn.

Um they amended their building code in 1977 to allow for construction of single-stair multifamily buildings of any height.

New York City 75 feet, Seattle any height.

The history in this country of single stair reform is often adopted when jurisdictions face housing shortages, high construction costs that hinder development, and affordability concerns.

This is because single stair reform reduces construction costs.

One estimate from a 2024 study in Boston suggests that stair costs staircases cost roughly 200 to 500,000 dollars each.

Removing the requirement for two staircases could reduce costs by as much as six to thirteen percent for constructing a multifamily building.

Single family stair reform enables development to occur on smaller lots.

The current building code egress requirement makes it impossible to build mid-rise multifamily properties on narrower or irregularly shaped lots.

And single stair reform increases the rentable or sellable area.

Multifamily buildings have an average building efficiency ratio of 80 to 85 percent.

Single stair properties could increase the building efficiency ratio by 10 to 15 percent.

There was at the hearing some opposition expressed by the firefighters union.

The committee took those concerns, committee staff took those concerns very seriously, but could not find sufficient research or evidence to suggest that mid-rise single stair multifamily buildings are any less safe.

First, the committee could find no research confirming that occupants of a mid-rise single-stair multifamily building would be more likely to be exposed to combustion byproducts in any specific fire-related scenario.

This is without objection.

This is undoubtedly due in part to the strict fire safety requirements of codes which allow for the construction of mid-rise single-stair family multifamily buildings.

Second, whether occupants of a building primarily or exclusively use one staircase to evacuate depends on factors such as crowd flow, directions from building management and firefighters, and the location of the stairways relative to their units.

If, for example, occupants are not directed to use a specific stairway during an evacuation, or both stairways are equally accessible from their unit, the research suggests that occupants will likely attempt to use both stairways at roughly even rates.

Finally, the committee notes that other fire safety requirements, such as an automatic sprinkler system have been found to significantly reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, when sprinklers are present, the fire death rate is 90 percent lower, and the fire injury rate is 32 percent lower than compared to reported fires in properties with no automatic extinguishing system.

Dual egress requirements were put in place long before automatic sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, and other fire safety measures were.

In addition, uh Pew Charitable Trust recently compared the rate of fire deaths in modern single-stair buildings in New York City with other residential buildings in the city.

Their analysis found that a total of three fire deaths have occurred in mid-rise single-stair multifamily buildings since 2012 for a fire death rate of five per million occupant years of experience.

This fire death rate is indistinguishable from the fire death rate of other residential buildings, and none of the fires in these mid-rise buildings could be attributed to uh to the building having a single egress stairway.

The researchers also examined fire-related fatalities in Seattle, finding that only one fire-related fatality occurred in 2021, that what could possibly be described as a mid-rise single-stair family, multifamily building between 2012 and 2024.

An inspection of incident records and media reports did not indicate that the presence of just one stairway was a factor in the fatality.

The print, the committee print includes revised language that the department must consider.

Uh, that the department must consider requirements to prevent the spread of fires and smoke in such multifamily residential buildings, including requiring the use of fire resistive construction, requiring the provision of adequate automatic fire sprinklers throughout the building.

Additionally, the print includes a new consideration, which is requirements that enable occupants to safely and quickly exit such a multifamily residential building in emergency situations, such as establishing a maximum travel distance from the exit or entry door of any dwelling unit, uh setting square footage limits for any floor of the building and prohibiting dwelling unit doors from opening directly into an interior exit stairway.

These the examples provided for both of these considerations are not meant to be all inclusive, but are drawn from codes and laws and other jurisdictions where the construction of mid-wise mid-rise single stair multifamily buildings is allowed.

This legislation was introduced on April 11th last year by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and co-introduced with Councilmembers Pinto and Robert White.

The committee of the whole held a public hearing on January 27th of this year.

And if I remember correctly, the only significant opposition was from the firefighters union.

With that, I move the print with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes.

Is there discussion?

Councilmember Pinto.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um, and thank you to you and Councilmember Nadeau for working on this important issue.

And I think as we try to explore additional ways to be creative to build more housing and make it easier to do so, um, this bill will certainly help do that.

I will say, as chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, public safety and safety of every piece of legislation that we advance is always paramount.

And I've talked to many first responders who have some concerns with this legislation, um, particularly around fighting fires.

And just to give up kind of specific example, if there's only one staircase, the concern would be in the event of an emergency or a fire, if everybody is leaving down the same staircase at the same time firefighters are trying to get up, that could create uh a bit of an issue.

And so one of the solutions for that could be, for example, um exploring a fire escape on the exterior back of the building to make sure that that ingress or egress is considered.

And so I wanted to ask you and Council Arbor, if we could work together between first and second reading to consider some of those safety concerns, especially around the exterior fire exits.

Uh, of course, and I indicated this earlier.

I'd be I'm more than uh happy to sit down with you and talk through your concerns.

Great.

Thank you very much.

Councilmember Henderson.

Um Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um I want to thank Councilmember Nadeau and yourself for moving forward on this legislation.

Um for some people who have questions, I would advise that they actually read the committee report, um, which is quite detailed.

And so I want to give a shout out to the committee and the whole staff who worked on this, which it includes figures, pictures, and things like that, so people can have a deeper understanding.

I do have um just one question for you, Mr.

Chairman.

So, you know, as the bill was introduced, it was the um construction codes coordinating board that would have been responsible for promulgating the regulations with related to this.

The mayor dissolved that entity, and so the authority has now been delegated to the Department of Buildings.

Do we feel confident that the Department of Buildings has the expertise to develop the regulations in a timely fashion?

Regulations are hard for any agency, but these I would imagine are pretty technical in nature.

I am not sure how I want to answer that question.

I think the dissolution of the that advisory board was a mistake.

In part because I think that stakeholders should have a direct input in the promulgation or development of revisions to the code.

The fact that there is a transition, of course, is going to lead some delay.

And as well, we might see that with the transition of the who is mayor, that that may as well delay rule making.

So I can't say that I have confidence that we will see rules adopted quickly.

Okay.

I don't think that's a reason to hold off on that.

No, no, not at all.

But it is, I think, an acknowledgement for the record that this is something we can't move forward without the rules.

And so it would behoove Department of Buildings if this is something that they are supporting to get it together.

I agree.

Okay.

Thank you.

I agree.

Uh further on the bill.

Uh the vote is on the print with leave for staff.

All those in all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Are there any posed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

I move the report with leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes.

Is there discussion?

The vote is on the report with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

Madam General Counsel is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration.

Yes, it is.

Once the report is filed.

Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

There is.

It is $137,000 in the first year and $568,000 over the four-year plan.

Thank you.

Without objection, this measure would be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

The next measure for markup is Bill 26-396 entitled Transfer and Recordation Tax Appeals Amendment Act of 2026.

Whenever someone sells or conveys real property in the district, the tax is applied to both the sale of or conveyance of the property and the official recording of a deed to transfer ownership of the property to a new owner.

So that's a transfer and a recordation tax.

The tax rates are the same for residential and commercial properties.

In most cases, the taxes are calculated based on the sale price.

Issues arise when consideration paid for a particular property is nominal.

According to the DCM, our nominal consideration means, quote, any price paid or any item exchanged in return for title to real property where it bears no reasonable resemblance to the fair market value of the real property, unquote.

If the consideration paid is less than 30 percent of the fair market value, then it is deemed to bear no reasonable resemblance to the fair market value of the property and therefore is considered nominal.

While the regulations define fair market value as the quote, estimated market value, unquote.

In practice, the recorder of deeds simply uses the assessed value determined by the office of tax and revenue, OTR.

This can result in significant tax liability and may result in buyers walking away from a transaction entirely.

As an example, let's say commercial property sells for 25 million dollars, but it the assessed value is 100 million dollars, and we're seeing that in today's market.

Deed transfer and recreation taxes on the assessed value of the property is $2.9 million, nearly 12 percent of the sale price.

If the $25 million sale price is used to calculate these taxes, the tax bill drops to $725,000 or 2.9 percent of the sale price.

A real-world example of how this impacts tax liability can be explored with the sale of 616H Street Northwest.

In 2024, this 660,000 square foot property had an assessed value of 225.7 million dollars, but was sold by a court-appointed receiver for $39 million.

Only 17 percent of the property's assessed value.

Deed transfer and recognition taxes totaled $6.5 million.

Had the sale price been used, the taxes would have totaled $1.131 million dollars, a difference of $5.3 million in tax liability.

This has significant implications for commercial office property sales in the district because assessed values for these properties have often lagged market values.

Bill 26-396 would address this issue by authorizing transferers and transfer and transfers to appeal the fair market value used for the calculation of the transfer and recreation taxes.

Specifically, the print would enable transferers or transferees to file a petition for a first-level appeal of the fair market value determination with the also tax and revenue within 45 days after the transfer tax is imposed without objection.

If OTR declines to adjust the fair market value of the transfer or transfer E could file a second level appeal with the Real Property Tax Appeals Commission within 45 days.

If RIPTAC declines to adjust the fair market value of the transfer transferree, could file a final third-level appeal with the District of Columbia Superior Court.

The committee print does not make any substantive changes to the legislation as introduced.

Rather, the print makes minor technical edits so that the print conforms to the council's drafting standards.

This legislation was introduced at the request of the mayor on October 3rd last year.

The committee of the whole committee on business and economic development held a public hearing on November 19th of last year.

The bill was re-referred to the committee of the whole in January.

And uh I move the print with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes.

Is there discussion?

The vote will be on the print with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

I move the report with leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes.

Is there discussion?

The votes on the report with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

It was anemic.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

Madam General Council is the measure legal and technically sufficient for our consideration.

Yes, it is.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete?

Once the report is filed.

Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

There is not.

Without objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

The next measure is Bill 26-432 entitled Roland Fatty Taylor Way Designation Act of 2026.

This bill would symbolically designate 62nd Street Northeast between Banks Street and Clay Street as Roland Fatty Taylor Way.

The location is in Ward 7.

A symbolic naming is for ceremonial purposes, and it shall be in addition to and subordinate to any name that is an official name.

Roland Morris Fatty Taylor was born in the district.

He achieved national recognition as a professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association.

He attended Spin Garn High School where he developed into one of the city's standout basketball players before continuing his collegiate career at Dodge City Community College and later at LaSalle University.

Following college, Taylor began his professional basketball career in 1969 with the Washington Capitals of the American Basketball Association.

He later played for the Virginia Squires and the Denver Nuggets in the ABA before transition, transitioning to a career in the NBA with the Buffalo Praves.

During his professional career, Taylor earned a reputation as one of the league's premier defensive guards and was named to the ABA All-Defensive First Team twice.

He grew up in the East Capitol Dwellings, public housing community in Northeast Washington, where he first developed his basketball skills, playing on neighborhood playground courts that have long been a part of the district's storied basketball culture.

Like many district athletes of his era, Taylor honed his game on local courts before advancing to collegiate and professional basketball, becoming one of a number of native Washingtonians who have achieved success at the highest levels of the sport.

This symbolic designation of Roland Fatty Taylor Way and the community where Taylor spent his childhood and began developing his early basketball skills, appropriately honors his achievements and recognizes the native Washingtonian whose athletic accomplishments brought distinction to the district.

This legislation was introduced last October by then Councilmember Kenyon McDuffie.

The committee as a whole held a hearing on January 13th and received no testimony or comments in opposition.

Without objection, I move both the print and report with leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes.

Is there discussion?

The vote will be on the print and a report with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

Madam General Counsel, is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, it is.

Once the hearing record and report are filed.

Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

No.

Objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

The next item and the last item for markup in the committee as a whole is Bill 26-550 entitled Ralph J.

Bunch Way Designation Act of 2026.

This bill symbolically designates 15th Street Northeast between Jackson and Kearney Streets as Ralph J.

Bunch Way.

The location is Ward 5, and this is a symbolic naming.

Dr.

Ralph Bunch, born in 1904, was a distinguished political scientist, diplomat, and scholar who became the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which he received in 1950 for his role in negotiating the 1949 Arab-Israeli Armistice Agreements.

Bunch was widely recognized for his contributions to international diplomacy and for helping establish the foundations of the United Nations during its formative years.

Before achieving international prominence, Mr.

Bunch began his professional career in the district where he served as a professor at Howard University and founded the University's Department of Political Science from 1928 to 1941.

He taught and conducted research at Howard, helping shape the study of international relations and mentoring generations of students in the nation's capital.

Ralph Bunch later served as a diplomat and mediator for the United Nations and was also active in the American Civil Rights Movement.

He publicly challenged racial segregation in the United States, including declining an offer from President Truman to serve as Assistant Secretary of State due to segregated housing conditions in Washington.

The symbolic designation of Ralph Bunchway on the portion of 15th Street Northeast, near the home and the neighborhood where Bunch lived, and it's now a historic site, appropriately honors his legacy and recognizes a distinguished scholar and diplomat whose contributions to international peace and civil rights reflect the values of the district.

This legislation was introduced on December 15th last year by Councilmember Parker.

Committee of the whole held a public hearing on January 13th.

Committee has received no testimony or comments in opposition to this legislation.

Without objection, I move both the print and report with leave for staff to make technical conforming and editorial changes.

Is there discussion?

Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Parker.

Thank you.

I want to thank your team for the work that they put into researching and documenting Ralph Bunch and his contributions.

I would just also say this is yet another example of the efforts that we are taking in War V to document African Americans and their ties to the community.

And I look forward to future residents in and around Brooklyn learning about Mr.

Bunch's contributions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

The vote is on both the print and report with leave for staff.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Are there any opposed?

Hearing none, the ayes have it unanimously.

Madam General Counsel, is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, it is.

Once the hearing record and report are filed.

Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

There is not.

Without objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

We will turn now to consideration of measures from other committees.

The first looks like the first four were reported out of the Committee on Human Services, chaired by Councilmember Matthew Fruman.

The first is Bill 26-490, Library eBook Licensing Fairness Amendment Act of 2026.

Councilmember Fruman.

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson.

Bill 26490 was introduced by me along with Councilmembers Allen, Robert White, Pinto, Nadeau, Felder, Lewis George, Henderson, and Parker on November 17, 2025.

It was then marked up by the Committee on Human Services on March 24, 2026.

This legislation will prohibit the District of Columbia Public Library, or DCPL, from entering into licensing agreements with ebook publishers that restrict public access to electronic literary materials.

The idea is to drive meaningful negotiation between publishers and the libraries.

Publishers charge libraries between three and five times more for ebook and audiobook licenses than they do for physical books.

At the same time, they restrict how many times licensed books can be lent out, how long the library is able to loan the material, and to whom the library can disclose purchase terms.

These practices force DCPL to spend more taxpayer dollars to make fewer materials available to residents.

As a result, patrons wait weeks, sometimes months, for new releases and popular titles.

The library cannot absorb continually rising costs driven by publisher licensing terms.

This bill addresses those unfair practices by prohibiting the license agreements that drive up costs and wait times.

Notably, this legislation would only go into effect after at least 10 other jurisdictions with a combined population of at least 50 million people enact similar laws.

This provision ensures that the district is part of a national strategy to ensure access to books while reducing the risk of legal challenge or market isolations.

My ultimate goal with this legislation is to ensure that DCPL can access books on fair terms at the right price, enabling more residents to read the books they love.

Access to information should not be cost prohibitive, and libraries must be able to meet the growing demand for digital materials.

I invite all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

With that, Mr.

Chairman, I ask the measure be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Are there questions from members?

Madam General Council, is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, it is.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete?

Yes, it is.

Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

There is not.

Without objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

If there is no objection, the Library Board of Trustees.

The three resolutions will be considered in block.

PR 26 488, Board of Library Trustees, Danella Brockington, confirmation resolution of 2026.

PR 26-565, Board of Library Trustees, Holly Flood, confirmation resolution of 2026.

And PR 26-566, Board of Library Trustees Christie C.

Whitfield, confirmation resolution of 2026.

Councilmember Fruman.

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson.

PR 26-488 was introduced on December 16, 2025 by you at the request of the mayor and referred to the Committee on Human Services on January 6, 2026.

PR 26-565 and PR26-566 were introduced on March 3, 2026 by you at the request of the Mayor and referred to the Committee on Human Services on March 17, 2026.

All of these measures confirm nominees to the Board of Library Trustees and were marked up by the Committee on Human Services on March 24, 2026.

PR26-488 would confirm the reappointment of Danella Brockington to her second term ending January 5th, 2020.

Ms.

Brockington, award 5 resident, was originally confirmed by the to the board in 2021 and currently serves as the chair of the board's finance and budget committee.

Ms.

Brockington is a former Vice President at several corporations, including Lockheed Martin, Xerox, and Condon, where she served district customers for over 30 years.

Ms.

Brockington currently serves on the Board of Directors for Document Systems, a minority-owned district business, chairs the board of the Posse Foundation, and is a trustee of Clark University and is a board member of the Recreation Wish List Committee.

Her extensive professional and nonprofit experience makes her an asset to the board.

PR 26-565 would confirm the appointment of Holly Flood for a term ending January 5th, 2031.

Ms.

Flood, a native Washingtonian, lifelong patron of DCPL and current Ward 1 resident, is a grants and corporate relations specialist at Christhouse, an organization dedicated to providing compassionate medical respite care to district residents experiencing homelessness.

Ms.

Flood previously held multiple positions at U.S.AID and was a member of the Peace Corps, leading and managing programs across the globe in places like Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Angola.

Her service in the district and federal governments, her program management experience, and her grant writing ability make Ms.

Flood an excellent nominee to the board.

PR 26-5-6 would confirm the appointment of Christy C.

Whitfield for a term ending January 5th, 2029.

Ms.

Whitfield is a Ward 5 resident and served as the Director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development from 2017 to 2023.

During her time at DSLBD, Ms.

Whitfield worked with DCPL to support the district's small business community, expanding art all night, and hosting District Connect, the District Connect conference at MLK Memorial Library.

One minute, Mr.

Chairman.

Without objective.

Ms.

Whitfield now serves as the Chief Impact Officer and Senior Director for Racial Justice at the Nathan Cunningham's Cummings Foundation, an organization focused on partnering with social change organizations to formulate creative solutions to racial inequality and climate change.

Based on her background, experience and previous leadership in district government, I believe Ms.

Whitfield is a strong nominee to the Board of Library Trustees.

I will say that with three nominations coming forward, the Board of Library Trustees was shorthanded, and now we are ensuring that they have a full complement of trustees.

So this is a very, very positive thing.

And to preempt any questions, all of the nominees have library cards.

All of the nominees are enthusiastic consumers of the library services at their local libraries.

With that, I ask these three measures be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

Thank you, Councilmember Fruman.

Are there questions from any members?

Madam General Council, are these three measures legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, they are.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete for each?

Yes.

And Madam Budget Directors, since these are confirmations, there is no fiscal impact statement, correct?

Correct.

Without objection, these measures will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

The next two measures, if there's no objection, will be considered in block.

They are both confirmations regarding the Green Finance Authority Board.

PR 26-482, Green Finance Authority Board, Monica Warren Jones, confirmation resolution of 2026.

And PR 26-483, Green Finance Authority Board, Anthony Washington Confirmation Resolution of 2026.

I should have said these two plus the following two to come up with a reported out of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen.

Councilmember Allen.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

And just clarification for the agenda.

I had Bill 26-136, the special election, the Office of Delegate Amendment Act of 2026 ahead of us.

I just want to make sure we didn't skip it by accident.

I skipped it by accident.

We'll come back to it.

Okay.

All right.

I know it's important, so just want to make sure we come back around to it.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

With your permission, I want to move both PR 26-482 and 483 in block.

You, Chairman Middlesen, introduced proposed resolutions 2642 and PR 26-43 at the request of the mayor on December 15th, 2025.

The Green Finance Authority Board of Directors was created by the District of Columbia Green Finance Authority Establishment Act of 2017 to manage the Green Finance Authority, commonly known as the DC Green Bank.

The Green Bank was established to increase private investment in clean energy, clean transportation, clean water, stormwater management, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and green infrastructure projects in the District of Columbia.

The Green Bank focuses on increasing private investment in sustainable projects and programs like offering and promoting loans, loan guarantees, credit enhancements, bonds, and other financing mechanisms.

The board is composed of 11 members, four nonvoting, and seven voting members.

The nonvoting members are government officials, including the director of the Department of Energy and Environment, and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

The voting members must be approved by the Council and must include two members with experience in affordable housing or community development.

Ms.

Monica Warren Jones is the director of strategic initiatives for the Enterprise Community Loan Fund, a community development finance institution with more than 15 years of experience in real estate finance and development.

Ms.

Warren Jones has generated more than 500 million dollars in lending activity and more than 500 million dollars of investment activity for the creation and preservation of more than 5,000 units of housing.

Ms.

Warren Jones has led discussions on multifamily finance and community development finance on behalf of the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Department of Insurance Corporation, and a myriad of local government housing agencies to share best practices.

Ms.

Warren Jones earned her MPA from Harvard University, an MBA from Boston College, and an undergraduate degree from Howard University.

She is a Ward 6 resident.

And Mr.

Anthony Washington has served as Vice President at Merchant Capital Corporation since 2020, where he is responsible for leading the origination of various multifamily financing programs.

Mr.

Washington has spent over 25 years in commercial lending and has financed over $1 billion worth of multifamily transactions across Fannie Mae, Freddie Mack, and FHA platforms.

He has served on various boards, including the University of Maryland Smith School of Business Advisory Board.

Mr.

Washington holds a Bachelors of Science and Business Administration from St.

Francis University of Pennsylvania and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Maryland College Park.

He is a fifth generation Washingtonian and a Ward 4 resident.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

And with that, I'd ask that these resolutions be added to the consent agenda for the legislative meeting to follow.

Thank you, Councilmember Allen.

Are there questions from members?

Madam General Council is the measure are these two measures legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, they are.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete for each other.

Yes.

And Madam Budget Director, these are confirmations, so there's no fiscal impact statement.

Correct.

I'll take the next two from Councilmember Allen and then I'll go back to uh Councilmember Bonds.

Uh PR 26-485, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors, Rachna Bhutani Bot, Confirmation Resolution of 2026, and PR 26-47, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors, Dr.

Jimmy Ortiz Confirmation Resolution of 2026.

Councilmember Allen.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Again, I'm going to be moving PR 26-45 and 487 in block.

Mr.

Chairman, you introduced these measures at the request of the mayor on December 16th, 2025.

They would reappoint Rochna Bhutani Bot and Dr.

Jimmy Ortiz as principal and alternate members respectively to the DC Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors for a term to end September 12th, 2030.

The DC Water and Sewer Authority Board, or sorry, Authority, also known as DC Water, provides municipal water and sewer service to the entire district as well as parts of Maryland and Virginia.

DC Water is governed by a board of directors, consisting of 11 principals and 11 alternate members.

Of those members, six are from the District of Columbia.

No more than four of those six may be district government employees or officials.

Four members are from Maryland, two from Montgomery County, and two from Prince George's County, and one member represents Fairfax County, Virginia.

The district's members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

Ms.

Rockna Butani Bot is a seasoned business and construction executive with more than two decades of experience managing large-scale commercial and government infrastructure projects.

As a director at HRGM Corporation, a Washington, D.C.

based government contractor, she's overseen a portfolio of projects exceeding $200 million, including the construction of schools, hospitals, and municipal facilities, while supervising large teams of employees and subcontractors and leading initiatives in alternative energy and lead certified development.

Ms.

Bott has served on the DC Water Board as a principal member since 2012.

In the past, she has chaired the Water Quality and Water Services Committee and currently serves as the chair of the Retail Water and Sewer Rates Committee.

Ms.

Bott holds a Bachelors of Science and Business Administration from Georgetown University and a Master's of Business Administration from the Horton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

She is a lead accredited professional and licensed Class A contractor in Virginia, and she is a Ward 3 resident.

Dr.

Jimmy Ortiz currently serves as President and CEO of Zitro 360 Group, LLC, which is an international government relations and educational consulting firm.

Prior to founding this organization, he briefly oversaw global business for International Bridge, and until 2024, he managed international relations for the U.S.

Postal Service in Washington, D.C.

Dr.

Ortiz started his career as a letter carrier on the night shift in New York City and has held numerous policy, operational, managerial, and business development positions in New York City, Puerto Rico, and the district.

Dr.

Ortiz serves or has served as a member of several boards and advisory committees, including the UPU Express Mail Service Cooperative Board, President of Prospanica D.C., the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal, and the Advisory Board of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund DC and Group 021.

He has served on the DC Water Board as an alternate since 2025.

Dr.

Ortiz earned his associate degree in accounting from the State University of New York, his Bachelors of Arts in Industrial and Governmental Accounting from the City University of New York, and his Master's of Science and Administration from Central Michigan University, and his PhD in International Business Administration from Universidad Felicidades.

He is a Ward 6 resident.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

And with that, I'd like to ask these resolutions to be added to the consent agenda for the legislative meeting to follow.

Thank you, Councilmember Allen.

Are there questions from members?

Madam General Council, are these two measures legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, they are.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete for each?

Yes.

Madam Budget Directory, these are confirmations, so there's no fiscal impact statement.

Correct.

Without objection, these measures will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

I skipped Bill 26 136 item E.

Special Election in the Office of the Delegate Amendment Act of 2026.

Reported out of the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, chaired by Councilmember Anita Bonds.

Councilmember Bonds.

The legislation clarifies that in the event the House Speaker declares more than 100 vacancies in the House of Representatives, and there exists a vacancy in the Office of Delegate of the District of Columbia, the Board of Elections shall hold a special election for the office according to the timeline outlined by federal law.

The Board of Elections would be required to hold a special election to fill a vacancy in the office of D.C.

Delegate within 49 days after the declaration by the Speaker of the U.S.

House of Representatives.

Currently, DC law allows for between 70 and 174 days for a special election to be held following a vacancy.

This bill will facilitate timing, transition of power, and ensure that the district will be represented, of course, on the national stage.

So today I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

And thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Councilmember Bonds.

Are there questions from members?

Madam General Council, is the measure legally and technically sufficient for our consideration?

Yes, it is.

Madam Secretary, is the record complete?

Yes, it is.

Madam General, uh Madam Budget Director, does the measure's fiscal impact statement comply with council requirements?

Yes, it does.

Is there a fiscal impact?

There is not.

Without objection, this measure will be placed on the consent agenda for today's legislative meeting.

That's going to conclude the business of this meeting.

I don't think I skipped anything.

The time is 2.05.

We'll start at 210.

This meeting is adjourned.