I'm calling to order this hearing or round table.

This is a public round table of the council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole.

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

Today is Wednesday, June 17th, 2026.

The time is 238 in the afternoon.

We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building.

The subject of this hearing is, or round table is PR 26-708 entitled District of Columbia Uniform Law Commission, Janine D.

Jackson appointment resolution of 2026.

This legislation was introduced by me on May 13th of this year.

And the stated purpose of the resolution is for the council to appoint Janine Jackson to the District of Columbia Uniform Law Commission.

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws was established in 1892, where the conference provides states with nonpartisan legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.

Each state has a commission whose members participate in the national conference.

Commission members are practicing attorneys, judges, lawyers, lawyers who are legislators or legislative staff, and law professors who research, draft, and promote enactment of uniform state laws in relevant areas of state law.

The district codified its Uniform Law Commission in 2011, pursuant to the District of Columbia Uniform Law Commission Act of 2010.

The district's uniform law commission is comprised of commissioners who, unless otherwise designated, serve three-year terms.

The council appoints one of these commissioners.

And that would be Miss Janine Jackson.

The record in this matter will close on Monday, June 29th at 5 p.m.

It's not quite two weeks from today, a couple days short of that.

The committee council may take this up at its July, June 30th.

I'll start over.

The council may take this up at its June 30th legislative meeting.

We published this notice a couple weeks ago.

And to afford the public an opportunity to testify as to the fitness of the nominee.

We have exactly one witness, and that is the nominee Janine Jackson, if you want to come forward.

The notice for this round table was published in the June 5th DC Register.

Ms.

Jackson, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um Chairman and members of the Committee of the Whole.

Good afternoon.

My name is Janine D.

Jackson, and I'm honored to appear before you in support of my appointment to the Uniform Law Commission of the District of Columbia.

If confirmed, I would bring to the Commission experience in public service, legislative drafting, regulatory strategy, executive lead and executive leadership in the district.

I am the executive partner of Holland and Knights Washington, D.C.

office, where I lead the firm's largest office of 362 employees.

I am also a partner in the firm's public policy and regulation group, advising clients on legislative and regulatory matters involving local government.

Over the course of my career, I have held senior legal and policy roles in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the District of Columbia government.

My legal my legal career began with judicial clerkships for the Honorable Reggie B.

Walton of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the Honorable Donald L.

Ivers of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, where I was the first African American woman to serve on that court.

I later served as an assistant corporation counsel representing the District of Columbia in litigation, including complex class action matters.

I also served as committee director for the council of the District of Columbia's Committees on Education, Libraries, and Recreation, and Judiciary and Public Safety, where I functioned as a senior legal counsel and policy advisor.

In those roles, I drafted legislation, prepared committee reports, led the budget process, and provided legal and strategic guidance to committee leadership and members.

I also served as the executive director of the state complaint office of the District of Columbia Public Schools, where I launched a federally mandated office under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to help preserve the district's eligibility for federal education funding.

I later served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs in the Executive Office of the Mayor, where I led the development and advancement of the mayor's legislative and regulatory agenda and served as a liaison among the district, the council, Congress, federal agencies, and the White House.

In the private sector, I served as the Senior Vice President for Government Relations at the District of DC Chamber of Commerce, where I drafted delivered and delivered testimony, negotiated legislative outcomes, and advised stakeholders on regulatory strategy.

Throughout my career, at the intersection of law and policy in the District of Columbia, I have seen how inconsistencies across states can create barriers to commerce, complicate compliance, and lead and limit the district's competitiveness.

The mission of the Uniform Law Commission is to develop well-researched nonpartisan model legislation that states the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.

Virgin Islands can adopt where greater consistency in state law is both desirable and practical.

Uniform laws promote clarity, predictability, and fairness, principles that strengthen legal systems, support business growth, protect consumers, and make the district a more attractive place for investment and innovation.

That is why I care deeply about the work of the Uniform Law Commission.

For the District of Columbia, participation in the Uniform Law Commission helps ensures ensure that our laws align with national best practices, which benefit courts, businesses, consumers, and families alike.

The district has access to carefully developed model statutes that can be adapted and enacted locally.

In practice, the commission studies areas of law where differences among states and territories creates confusion or inefficiency, then drafts uniform or model acts to address those issues.

Local lawmakers can use those acts as a starting point when updating their own laws.

I believe my experience drafting legislation, advising policymakers, and working across branches of government would allow me to contribute meaningfully to the to that mission of on behalf of the District of Columbia.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

If confirmed, I would be honored to serve the District of Columbia on the Uniform Law Commission and to contribute my legal legislative policy and policy experience to advancing clear, effective, and well-reasoned law for the benefit of the district and its residents.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Jackson.

Thank you for your statement.

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

I do have a couple of questions, if I can find them.

Ms.

Jackson, do you have a sense of how much time is involved in being on the commission and do you have the time to participate fully?

My sense is that it is a decent time commitment because the Uniform Law Commission and the Commissioners don't take their work lightly.

But yes, I do have a sense of the time and I do have the time to serve.

And do you know of any potential conflicts of interest that would affect your serving on the commission?

I do not know of any conflicts of interest at this point that would affect my ability to serve on the commission.

However, if a conflict of interest did arise, I would disclose and recuse myself.

I think I asked you this in the prehearing questions, but I always ask it hearings.

Do you have any outstanding liability for taxes, fees, or other payments to the district, federal government, or state or local government?

Absolutely not, sir.

Is there any issue that the UFC ULC is dealing with that you're especially interested in?

No, there's nothing that of particular interest in terms of particular uniform law that they may be addressing right now.

Um I will say that what's of particular interest to me is making sure there's continuity across states, so that, you know, for families, DC residents, businesses alike, there's certainty and outcomes and certainty of process and certainty of the law.

You were on the council's judiciary staff when a number of uniform law bills went through, right?

I was, sir.

So you do have some familiarity with uniform law.

My former boss, the then at-large uh councilmember Phil Mendelson did chair the committee on judiciary and public safety at that time.

So we did work on several bills together.

Um I do not have any other questions for you.

All right.

Well, sir, if appointed, I would be honored to serve, and thank you very much for the opportunity.

And thank you for your interest and willingness.

And with that, um, I did want to note for the record, we received a statement from Brian Flowers, who is a commissioner.

He may be at this point a lifetime commissioner.

Uh he submitted a statement in support.

So that will be included in the record.

And as I said at the outset, the record for this round table will close at 5 p.m.

on Monday, June 29th, 2026.

Time is two forty eight PM, and this round table is adjourned.