Press Releases

That is why I write to request an update on the efforts of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC), which are supported by your office. While the MMRC was established in 2018 and fully constituted by 2020, it has yet to issue any publicly available reports to inform the prioritization of work to improve maternal health.

The Texas Avenue dog park was funded as a first step in addressing the inequitable distribution of dog parks in the District, and I look forward to hearing about the progress made so far. Thank you in advance for providing responses by December 22, 2021.

I was glad to learn that OSSE has separate codes for students receiving instruction via distance learning due to a situational need. This practice makes it possible to look back over a given period to understand how many students were not in school due to one or more quarantine periods. Now that we have an entire first term of data to analyze, I would like to request the following information in Excel format organized by local education agency and school, grouped by first and second term and including the totals, to date:

The recent conversations and student protests regarding substandard housing conditions at Howard University have once again underscored the risks posed by the District’s failure to conduct robust inspections for mold and mold remediation enforcement in residential buildings. I know you agree that mold in living spaces poses a serious public health concern. I write to request updates on the adoption of long-pending regulations that would support a mold remediation enforcement and fine program under the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), and to encourage you to develop adequate mold inspection capacity as soon as possible.

To that end, significant changes have been made to our TSI program since the May 13 hearing on Vision Zero in the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. These changes are intended to simplify the process for residents and accelerate evaluation and deployment of much needed safety improvements across the city. We have reviewed the questions and information requests in your letter dated September 28, 2021 and offer the following in response to each question:

“I applaud the NCAA decision to allow players the opportunity to financially benefit from their brand, while still avoiding pay for play. Many Black and brown student-athletes will benefit from this shift toward a more equitable system, and our local regulations must evolve with this change,” said Councilmember Christina Henderson. “While college athletes will now have the chance to be paid for public appearances, autographs, or social media posts, there need to be basic safety measures around this activity. This legislation would prohibit pay for play, limit endorsements of products like alcohol or gambling, encourage universities to support financial literacy for their athletes, and update our local oversight of athlete agents who facilitate deals.”