DC Council Committee of the Whole Meeting – June 2, 2026
DC Council Committee of the Whole Meeting – June 2, 2026
This was an additional meeting of the Committee of the Whole of the Council of the District of Columbia, held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 11:44 AM in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building and broadcast on Cable Channel 13 and the council’s website. The purpose was to markup several measures for the regular legislative meeting later that day. The meeting lasted approximately 1 hour 8 minutes, adjourning at 12:52 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Confirmations – Commission on Arts and Humanities (PR 26‑570, PR 26‑571, PR 26‑572): The council approved the reappointments of Janice Kim (Ward 3), Carla Sims (Ward 6), and Hector Torres (Ward 6) for terms ending June 30, 2029. All three resolutions were moved en bloc and passed unanimously. They were placed on the consent agenda for the legislative meeting.
- Confirmations – Board of Zoning Adjustment (PR 26‑636, PR 26‑667): The council confirmed the appointments of Paul Goldstein (Ward 3, term through September 30, 2029) and Michelle Pourciau (Ward 4, term through September 30, 2028). Both passed unanimously and were placed on the consent agenda.
- Revenue Bonds – Friendship Public Charter School Inc. (PR 26‑582): Authorized up to $90 million in tax‑exempt revenue bonds for refinancing and capital improvements across multiple school campuses, including potential acquisition of a Minnesota Avenue property. Passed unanimously and placed on consent.
- Revenue Bonds – DC Preparatory Academy (PR 26‑660): Authorized up to $25 million for acquisition and renovation of a 42,000‑sq‑ft facility at 711 Edgewood Street NE (Ward 5). Passed unanimously and placed on consent.
- Revenue Bonds – Food and Friends Inc. (PR 26‑670): Authorized up to $15 million for expansion of its headquarters at 219 Riggs Road NE (Ward 5). In 2025, Food and Friends served nearly one million meals to over 3,000 residents. Passed unanimously and placed on consent.
- Revenue Bonds – Forest Hills of DC / Goodwin Living (PR 26‑704): Authorized up to $13.7 million to refinance debt and fund up to $3 million in facility improvements at 4901 Connecticut Avenue NW, serving 92 seniors. Passed unanimously and placed on consent.
- Confirmation – Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board (PR 26‑674): Reported from the Committee on Public Works and Operations, the council confirmed James Turner (former ANC commissioner in Ward 1). Placed on the consent agenda without objection.
Discussion Items
- Open Meetings Clarification Amendment Act of 2026 (Bill 26‑208): Introduced by all 13 members, the bill would exempt certain informal gatherings of council members (e.g., breakfasts, strategy sessions) from the Open Meetings Act, provided no official action is taken. It also makes permanent pandemic‑era virtual meeting provisions and exempts the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. Chairman Mendelson argued the current law impedes needed confidential discussions, citing examples such as a closed briefing on Monumental Sports negotiations and a housing committee field trip. Several councilmembers expressed concerns about lack of transparency and potential for future abuse. Councilmember Allen proposed an amendment requiring post‑hoc notice of closed meetings, which was discussed but not yet finalized. After debate, the committee voted on the committee print: 5 yes (Mendelson, Bonds, Crawford, Felder, Pinto), 2 no (Allen, Lewis George), 6 present (Robert White, Trayon White, Fruman, Henderson, Nadeau, Parker). The report was also approved by the same tally. The measure was placed on the non‑consent agenda for first reading later that day.
- Nomination – Board of Nursing (PR 26‑600): Councilmember Henderson presented the nomination of Brianna Jones (Ward 5, licensed nursing home administrator) for a term ending July 21, 2027. She noted the Board of Long‑Term Care Administration has been folded into the Board of Nursing. The chair stated the measure would not be placed on the agenda; no further action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- All consent calendar items were approved unanimously and placed on the consent agenda for the legislative meeting.
- Bill 26‑208 (Open Meetings Clarification) was passed out of committee on a 5‑2‑6 vote and will receive first reading at the legislative meeting; an amendment for post‑hoc reporting is expected to be offered then.
- The meeting adjourned at 12:52 PM to allow the regular legislative meeting to proceed.
Meeting Transcript
I'm going to order this meeting. This is an additional meeting of the committee of the whole of the council of the District of Columbia. I'm Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee of the Whole. Today is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026. The time is 11.44 in the morning. We are in room 500 of the council chambers of the Johnny Wilson building. And this meeting is being broadcast on Cable Channel 13 as well as on the council's website, www.dccouncil.gov. This is what we call an additional meeting of the council. It's not a regularly scheduled meeting, although we often will have an additional meeting the same day that we have a legislative meeting. When we are done with this meeting, we will adjourn very briefly, hopefully very briefly, and then have our legislative meeting, which is the regular legislative meeting for the month of June. There are something like nine, ten measures for markup in the committee of the whole. Then there are two other measures that were reported out of other committees that go through the committee of the whole to get on today's legislative agenda. We begin our committee of the whole meetings with figuring out whether we have a majority of the members present. Mr. Cash, would you call the role? Chairman Mendelssohn. Present. Council Member Allen. Here. Councilmember Bonds. Here. Councilmember Crawford. Here. Councilmember Felder. Present. Councilmember Fruman. Present. Councilmember Henderson. Here. Councilmember Lewis Short. Here. Councilmember Nadaux. Councilmember Parker. Here. Councilmember Pinta. Present. Councilmember Robert White. Present. Councilmember Trayon White. Councilmember Trainwhite. Mr. Chairman, you have the quorum. Thank you, Mr. Cash. So if there's no objection, the first three measures for markup in the committee of the whole, which are confirmations of mayoral nominations for the commission on arts and humanities, that the three measures will be considered in block. No, I'm ready. I'm right in the morning. The commission is now an independent agency within the district government and is designated by the National Endowment for the Arts as the State's Arts Agency for the District of Columbia. Its role is to evaluate and initiate action on matters relating to the arts and humanities and to encourage programs and development of programs that promote progress in the arts and humanities. In addition, the mission of the commission is to provide grants, programs, and educational activities that encourage diverse artistic expression and learning opportunities so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience.
openpublica.com