The Brown Bulletin July 2012

7/31/2019 The Brown Bulletin July 2012

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Click the video below to hear about C.B.E. Summit,Uber, Career Tech, First Source Lawsuit and more!

Michael A. BrownCouncilmember At-Large

Chair Pro Tempore

Council of the District ofColumbia1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NWSuite 406Washington, DC 20004

202-724-8105202-724-8071 [email protected]

ChairpersonEconomic Development andHousingStatehood and SelfDetermination

Co-chairSubcommittee on Redistricting

CommitteesFinance and RevenueHuman ServicesGovernment OperationsSmall and Local BusinessDevelopment

Metropolitan WashingtonCouncil of Governments Member

July 2012

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COUNCIL IN RECESS, OFFICE FULLY OPEN

On Monday, July 16, 2012, the Council of the District of Columbia officially adjournedfor recess until mid- September 2012. However, the office of Councilmember Michael A.Brown and the Committee on Economic Development and housing will remain fully opendaily, Monday thru Friday from the hours of 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM. If you have an issueor concern, please feel free to stop by Suite 406, send an email to Kevin Smith,Administrative Assistant at [email protected], or call the office at 202-724-8105.
mailto:[email protected]://www.michaelbrownatlarge.com/http://www.michaelbrownatlarge.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/CouncilmemberAtLargeMichaelBrownhttps://twitter.com/CMMichaelABrownhttp://www.michaelbrownatlarge.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUENUGQtL2U


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C O M M I T T E E O N E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N T A N D H O U S I N GM I C H A E L A . B R O W N , C H A I R P E R S O N

Summary of Councilmember Browns Legislationat the July 10, 2012 Council Session

1. Introduced the Protecting Injured Government Workers Reform Act of 2012

Each year over 2,000 injured D.C. government employees go through the Public Sector Workers CompensationProgram. These are our government workers who have been injured on the job while providing a service to ourresidents and as such they deserve our gratitude and support.This bill addresses concerns associated with the claims process to ensure that a fair and informed determination ismade. Specifically the bill:

Establishes a more informed and impartial medically-based determination process by providing the approvedtreating physician great weight during the eligibility determination process;

Allows an inclusive claims process that doesnt discriminate against mental or emotional conditions; Provides additional flexibility for Administrative Law Judges to extend benefits beyond the arbitrary cap if they

determine that the injury continues to prohibit the claimant from working; and

Allows the claimant to continue to receive benefits through their first round of appeals, which the Director of theOffice of Risk Management has acknowledged is actually the first stage in which claims receive any meaningfullegal review.

2. Amended and passed the Fiscal Year 2012 Second Revised Budget Request CongressionalReview Emergency Adjustment Act of 2012

The amendment will alter the eligibility language of the furlough rebate to ensure that all teachers who are separatedfrom DC Public Schools this summer ( or ANY DC Govt employee either voluntarily or involuntarily separated after July10, 2012) will still be eligible to receive a full rebate of the furloughs that were taken in Fiscal Year 2011. Without thisamendment all those who were scheduled to be separated from DCPS on July 14, 2012 would have been ineligiblebecause they would have missed the original eligibility date by 7 days.

The Furlough rebate is expected to be received by the start of the school year.

3. Introduced and passed the Career and Technical Education Plan Establishment EmergencyDeclaration Resolution of 2012 ; and the Career and Technical Education PlanEstablishment Emergency and Temporary Acts of 2012

Career and Technical Education (or CTE) is one of the areas that has incredible potential but not nearly enoughattention, support, and resources. Many of the Distri cts current CTE programs are not as robust or effective as theycould be and they have failed to engage many students who would otherwise excel in such learning environments. Thisreality may have contributed to the citys dropout rates as well as the skills deficit in certain segments of our citys laborforce. This bill addresses these issues by empowering a CTE task force that will be charged with conducting an in-depthreview and analysis of our current CTE offerings and developing a detailed strategic plan for our citys CTE programs

that will include specific standards for all District funded CTE programs.

4. Passed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure HomelessAssistance Submission Emergency Approval Act of 2012

This bill approves the Homeless Assistance Submission, including the Walter Reed Reuse Plan, the Walter Reed LocalRedevelopment Authority (LRA) Committee recommendations, and the Legally Binding Agreements. The District, as theWalter Reed LRA, cannot begin negotiations with the Department of the Army for transfer of the site unless and untilthis bill has been submitted to and approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It isimportant to take this emergency action, so the process for the redevelopment of the Walter Reed campus can trulybegin. This parcel represents a tremendous economic development opportunity to the District and to Ward 4 inparticular.

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C O U N C I L O F T H E D I S T R I C T O F C O L U M B I A C O M M I T T E E O F T H E W H O L E

J U LY 1 0 , 2 0 1 2 S E S S I O N

On July 10 th , the Council held its final session before the summer recess. Here are some of the importantpieces of legislation acted upon and how Councilmember Michael A. Brown voted on them.

SUPPORTED

(Bill 19-755) Social E-Commerce Job Creation Tax Incentive Act of 2012 (LivingSocial tax credit)The Act provides a real property tax credit ( Property Tax Credit ), which is capped at $15 million in total between FY2016 and FY 2025. In order to use the Property Tax Credit, LivingSocial must occupy at least 200,000 square feet of office space that will be constructed or rehabilitated after June 2012. The bill also provides for a corporate franchise taxcredit ( Income Tax Credit ), which is capped at $17.5 million.

(Bill 19-630) Taxicab Service Improvement Amendment Act of 2012The legislation amends the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985 to provide neededimprovements to the taxicab industry through the implementation of technology upgrades in taxicabs; cleaner, more-

fuel efficient vehicles; accessibility for individuals with disabilities; increased driver training; and structural changes tothe Taxicab Commission.

*An Amendment to B19-630 , introduced by Jack Evans, clarifies the legality of Uber car service until Dec. 31,2012, at which time a more permanent legal designation can be made.

Taxicab Services Improvement Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012 Taxicab ServicesImprovement Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 Approves a contract with VeriFone Systems, Inc., to develop, install and operate a Taxicab Smart Meter System (TSMS)that will include credit card readers, digital manifests, passenger and driver safety buttons, and other serviceimprovements. This legislation also authorizes the Taxicab Commission to levy a surcharge, not to exceed 50 cents pertaxicab ride. The funds raised from this surcharge will be used to pay the cost of the TSMS, and the cost of providingother service improvements, such as expanding the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles and the number of taxis

serving underserved areas, as well as providing some funding to the operations of the Taxicab Commission.(PR 19-777) Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia Natwar M. Gandhi ConfirmationResolution of 2012Confirmed Dr. Gandhi to a new 5 year term.

Cogeneration Equipment Personal Property Tax Exemption Emergency Act of 2012These measures would exempt equipment for large cogeneration facilities from the Districts personal property tax .Cogeneration is an efficient form of electricity generation, as well as a source of efficient heating and cooling. Theenvironmental benefits of cogeneration are well documented.

Criminal Penalty for Unregistered Motorist Repeal Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012District law allowed police officers to make an arrest for a lapsed motor vehicle registration . These arrests garneredlocal and national press coverage, leading to widespread criticism of a law that some saw as draconian. This bill repealsthat law.

District of Columbia Public Schools Partnership Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012Authorizes the District of Columbia Public Schools to enter into agreements with parent and communitygroups to assist individual schools in managing the use of their facilities by outside groups.

AGAINST (Bill 19-833) Residential Permit Parking Zone Boundaries Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 Councilmember Brown believes that we should not change the zone parking permit program without greaterpublic input from potentially affected residents.


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COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIAOFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER MICHAEL A. BROWN

Chairman, Committee on Economic Development and Housing

Council Chair Pro Tempore

MEDIA RELEASEJuly 17, 2012 For more information contact 202-724-8190

CM Michael A. Brown Hosts Successful Business Meeting with D.C. Certified Business Enterprises.Identifying and Eliminating Hurdles to Local Business Success

Today, At-large Councilmember Michael A. Brown, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Housing, hosteda listening roundtable meeting with local business owners on the pending and upcoming economic development projectsavailable for Certified Business Enterprises (CBE). The meeting was held at the offices of the Washington DC EconomicPartnership , where nearly 100 local businesses participated.

The meeting titled, Navigating Economic Development and Business Opportunities in the District of Columbia: Identifying and Eliminating Hurdles to Local Business Success provided business owners and representatives anopportunity to engage in dialog and learn how best to navigate government programs and policies to successfully grow. Itwas also an opportunity to hear from business owners their opinion on needed regulatory reforms to reduce the Districtsreputation as anti-business. Some discussed the need for greater outreach and information of upcoming projects andcontracting opportunities, while others discussed the need for the city to assist with access to capital and to consider providing bonding for smaller companies. Some participants mentioned reforming the citys permitting process andsuggested allowing third party entities to fill that role.

Participants in todays meeting included representatives of large stakeholders such as Hensel Phelps and M & T Bankmixed with small minority business, including Capitol City Associates, Bell Architects and the Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Todays meeting is the first in a series of meetings Councilmember Brown intends on hosting. Future meetings will pulltogether industry specific groups, continue to connect developers with smaller DC companies and expose local businessesto District contracting officers. Videos of the question and answer portion of the meeting are available here-http://www.youtube.com/user/CMMichaelABrown

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IN OBSERVANCE OF RAMADAN

Councilmember Michael A. Brown would like to acknowledge our friends and neighbors whoobserve the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection and worship and a

time when purity of both thoughts and actions is important. Ramadan also teaches Muslims topractice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate;thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity. We should all aspire to these qualities.

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The Brown Bulletin July 2012