DC Government

Photo by PoPville flickr user Lindsey Robinett

“Dear PoPville,

I just saw a note on my kid’s school listserve that the Health Committee is planning a vote that would reduce the required hours for an on site nurse from 40 hours to 20 hours. My experience with my two insane balls of energy is that I never know when they are going to need a school nurse’s help. I think cutting nurse availability is a pretty short-sighted idea that unnecessarily puts kids’ health at risk. Folks that want to register their concerns could take it up with CM Grosso and CM Todd — both of whom sit on the Health Committee. Thanks for getting the word out.

>> Councilmember Brandon T. Todd
>> 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 105, NW Washington, DC 20004
>> Tel: (202) 724-8052 | Fax: (202) 741-0908
>> [email protected]

>> Councilmember David Grosso
>> 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20004
>> Tel: (202) 724-8105 | Fax: (202) 724-8071
>> [email protected]”

From Councilmember David Grosso’s office:

“Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) today announced the introduction of legislation to improve community health and safety through a new approach that removes criminal penalties for those engaged in consensual sexual exchange.

“It is time for D.C. to reconsider the framework in which we handle commercial sex–and move away from criminalization to focus on human rights, health, and safety,” said Grosso.

D.C., like most jurisdictions, has long had criminal penalties for consensual sexual exchange. Although widely used, such an approach has never worked – instead it only serves to harm those most vulnerable, including communities of color, gay and trans people, people with disabilities, immigrants, and people with criminal convictions, while fostering violence and exploitation. (more…)

Excellent info from Councilmember Mary Cheh’s office. You can find more info from Zero Waste DC.

Uh…good news? I’ll post a reminder if we ever get a big snowstorm again.

From DPW:

“Drivers can now enroll in a new service offered by the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) to receive electronic notifications if their vehicle has been booted, towed, or relocated in the District.

More than 50,000 vehicles are affected by towing and booting services in the District each year. Currently drivers can call the DPW’s towed vehicle locater hotline to determine where to retrieve a towed or relocated vehicle. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caroline Angelo

Thanks to all who passed on responses from Councilmember Nadeau’s office regarding the recent DOH crackdown of dogs on restaurant patios:

“I am CM Nadeau’s legislative counsel on health. We are working on emergency legislation regarding the issue of dogs on restaurant patios. We have already met with Councilmember Gray’s office earlier this morning and started discussions about what the legislation would need to address. If there are any particular concerns you have that we should keep in mind while working on this, please feel free to let me know. We will certainly keep you updated as we make progress.”

via CM Allen’s Office

From Councilmember Allen’s office:

“Tomorrow Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, will introduce comprehensive legislation to reform the Youth Rehabilitation Act (the “YRA”), a law passed in 1985 to provide a second chance to young adults convicted of eligible crimes.

“Once we really sifted through the data, it became clear that YRA is applied inconsistently and isn’t predictive of who, from a public safety standpoint, would make the best use of a second chance at a clean record,” said Councilmember Allen. “The YRA is a promise that hasn’t been delivered. This bill adds the substance young adults, victims of crime, and District residents need to improve public safety, lower recidivism, and set young people convicted under the law up for success. These young people are coming back to our communities whether or not judges sentence them under the YRA, so the question is really whether we’re prepared to invest in what we know works.” (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Tim Brown

Press release from our local ACNM (American College of Nurse Midwives) affiliate, please take a moment to read:

“Low-income DC women on the brink of maternity care crisis:
Two area hospitals shutting down and one drastically cutting maternal child health services, leaving many low-income women with no local options for maternity care.”

WASHINGTON, DC: A confluence of recent events have triggered a crisis that will leave thousands of Washington, D.C. women with little or no access to obstetrical care.
Policymakers have yet to address the problem. A coalition of women’s health care providers is coming together to attempt to identify ways to divert these women to other providers and identify possible resources before the District faces a wave of emergency births to women with limited to no access to proper prenatal care.

The sequence of events: (more…)