Recording in progress.

Good morning, everyone.

I would like to call to order this public hearing of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety.

I am Councilmember Brooke Pinto, representing Ward II and chairwoman of the committee.

The time is now 9 44 a.m.

on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026, and we are conducting this hearing in person in room 500 of the Johnny Wilson Building and streaming virtually on the DC Council's website and on YouTube and X at CM Brook Pinto.

Today the committee continues its review of Mayor Bowser's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget and financial plan.

We'll discuss the proposed budgets for the following three agencies.

First, the Department of Corrections.

Second, the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and third, the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants.

First up will be the Department of Corrections.

DOC is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for individuals in custody at the district's correctional facilities, which includes pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates.

In this role, the department manages the DC jail facilities, including the Central Detention Facility, CDF, and the Correctional Treatment Facility, CTF, as well as overseeing the range of programs and services offered to residents at these facilities, including educational, workforce development, and other programs focused on residents' successful reentry following the completion of their sentence.

The mayor's proposed FY2027 budget provides DOC with approximately 229 million dollars, which is a 0.4% increase from the current fiscal year.

This funding supports 1,230 FTEs, which is a decrease of one.

I want to be direct about the areas of concern that this committee will be asking about today.

The central detention facility is in serious disrepair, and the current practice of funding small fixes and upgrades as more and more systems fail due to age is not a viable long-term solution.

The Council for Court Excellence, through the Office of the DC Auditor, released a report last year on the urgent need for a new jail facility highlighting a range of ongoing concerns within the agency from issues with providing residents timely and quality health care to a lack of nutritious food offerings and consistently fresh fruits to produce to residents.

Many of the findings in this report are issues that I have addressed with DOC both during budget and performance site oversight hearings as well as in visits to the jail.

Excuse me, and we will continue to address these until they are resolved.

Despite my and others' continued calls for a new facility and expectation that this would come in the budget, the FY26 proposed budget removed capital funding for a new jail, and the 2027 budget continues with the plan to instead rely on private sector funding to finance this need.

The council needs detailed information on the plan for a new DC jail, and I'll be asking Director Faust about the timeline, accountability for this project, and where residents will be placed while the buildings are built.

Another area of concern is around staffing.

Staffing remains the most urgent operational concern at DOC.

DOC has had major understaffing problems for many years, which must be addressed.

A number, a high number of correctional officer vacancies have a direct effect on the programs that can be offered to residents at the jail, and I'll be asking about those numbers to understand the extent of that gap today.

A reduction in program offering offerings leads to worse outcomes for residents upon reentry and existing staff face greater demands on their time, including mandatory overtime, which are funds that could be used for other priorities and projects if there is otherwise sufficient staffing to prevent these overtime expenses.

Around $30 million was spent on overtime in FY 2025 due to short staffing and vacancies.

I'm looking forward to understanding today what this budget does to ensure adequate staffing both for the benefit of residents at the jail and the officers who serve there.

Furthermore, programming at the jail must be prioritized both while residents are in custody and upon release.

DOC offers comprehensive reentry services to residents and its care, including workshops, in-life skills, parenting, anger management, adult and continuing education, in-person instruction, certifications for specific career fields, resume preparation and financial management, as well as substance abuse treatment and other wraparound services.

These programs are vital tools that have proven to reduce recidivism and protect public safety.

While I'm pleased to see that funding for most programs has been maintained, I'm concerned that maintaining these programs at current funding levels won't be sufficient to support the increase in population.

Funding is insufficient to supplement additional programs that I've introduced and proposed, and that the council has passed, like my bill, the Fresh Starts Act or my Bill of the Ease Act, which provides additional training opportunities and opportunities to engage in the legislative process as well as access to healthier food and better hospitality training.

The DC government has an obligation to the residents in our custody, to the communities to which those residents will return, and to the correctional officers who show up every day in the facility.

I look forward to continuing to work with Director Faust and my council colleagues to ensure that this budget supports those obligations.

Following DOC, we'll hear from the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department or FEMS, whose mission is to preserve life and promote health and safety through excellent pre-hospital treatment and transportation, fire prevention, fire suppression and rescue activities, and homeland security awareness.

The mayor's proposed FY2027 budget provides fire and EMS with approximately 402 million dollars and 8.9% increase over last fiscal year.

The capital budget also has a large proposed increase of 15.1% compared to FY26.

I have questions for Chief Donnelly today about how the mayor's proposed budget will impact the quality of life and safety of firefighters, service provided to residents, and maintenance of the department's fleet and facilities.

I am pleased to see continued investments in capital improvements, modernizations, and renovations of our firehouses that must operate 24-7.

Additionally, I'm glad to see funding allocated to replace Fire Boat 1 so that DC can continue to provide world-class emergency response in all areas of the city.

The urgency of this improvement was underscored by the horrific plane crash over the Potomac last year, and we must ensure first responders have the resources they need in an emergency.

Although this funding is not within the FIRE and EMS budget, I'm very disappointed and very concerned that this budget does not allocate needed money in the Workforce Development Fund to account for the new collective bargaining agreement with the fire department.

Local 36 has been negotiating in good faith since July of 2024, and despite being an arbitration and therefore hopefully closer to a new CBA, there is now insufficient funding for any CBA.

Our first responders deserve to be paid appropriately, and we must show them the gratitude we have for them as a city by properly compensating all of our first responders through on-time and fair CBAs rather than continuing the practice of operating under expired CBAs and failing to allocate proper funding.

These workforce investment funds for collective bargaining agreements and non-union pay increases could be funded with revenues currently being held back by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.

I will continue to work with my colleagues to prioritize funding for collective bargaining agreements and non-union pay increases within this budget.

Finally, we'll turn to the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants or OVSJG.

OVSJG's mission is to develop, fund, and coordinate programs that improve public safety, enhance the administration of justice, and create systems of care for crime victims, youth, and their families in the district.

OVSJG issues victim service grants and justice grants to community organizations that support returning citizens, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault or immigrant community and victims of other crimes.

OVSJG is also the state administering agency responsible for the direction of systemic criminal justice planning, coordination, management, research training, and technical assistance.

The agency provides policymaking expertise, advice, and counsel to the executive on the role of victims and offenders in the criminal justice system, the evidence-based practices to respond to, intervene in, and prevent violence.

This is done in part through the work of the juvenile justice advisory group, which includes five appointed youth members and the domestic violence fatality review board.

The mayor's proposed FY 2027 budget proposes a total budget of 77 million dollars for OVSJG.

This reflects an over 30% decrease to the agency's budget compared to FY26.

The majority of the proposed cuts are made to access to justice, or ATJ, which is facing an 86% reduction of $27 million.

The mayor proposed similarly drastic cuts to ATJ last year.

My colleagues and I were able to work together to fill most of this gap.

This year, however, agencies across the district are facing drastic cuts.