Today, Councilmember David Grosso issued the following statement on the recently announced $19.4 million settlement with the food service contractor for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS).
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2015
Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun
(202) 724-8105
Grosso Invests in Urban Farming in FY16 Budget
Washington, D.C.--During the FY16 budget process, Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) worked closely with his colleagues to ensure inclusion of his top priorities in the budget. Among his budget priorities is the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act of 2014, a bill which became law on April 30, 2015.
The bill enables residents using their property for urban agriculture purposes to take advantage of a 90% tax abatement program. Additionally, the legislation enables those tax exempt entities that allow farmers to grow and sell produce on their property to maintain their tax exempt status. Although not funded to the fullest extent, the allocation in the FY16 budget is $460,000, which includes $60,000 for an FTE at the Department of Parks & Recreation and $400,000 for the tax abatement program.
"I believe a sustainable food system encourages local production and distribution that makes nutritious food accessible to all of our residents," said Grosso. "Getting this bill funded in the FY16 budget signals the District's commitment to environmental sustainability and food security."
The final votes of the Council on the Budget Request Act and the Budget Support Act are scheduled for June 10 and June 16 respectively.
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All hearings and roundtables will be at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
June 22 –- PERAA Roundtable Part II -– 11am (Rm 500)
This is the continuation of a public roundtable on the summative evaluation of public schools in the District of Columbia as required by the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007. Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, June 18 to testify.
June 23 -- Value of Investing in Trauma-Informed Public Schools and Support Services –- 1pm (Rm 123)
The purpose of this roundtable is to learn more about the importance of trauma-informed schools and environments. How do we identify students affected by trauma? What exactly does it mean to be trauma-informed? What types of existing services and trainings are available to students and school-based staff in this regard? How can the District of Columbia better coordinate and improve mental health services for students? Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Friday, June 19 to testify.
June 29 –- Joint Education & Committee of the Whole Roundtable on Truancy -– 11am (Rm 123)
The purpose of this roundtable is to receive testimony from government witnesses and partners, including the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the Child and Family Services Agency, the District of Columbia Public Schools, the Public Charter School Board, and the Justice Grants Administration regarding truancy in the District and the continued implementation of truancy reform initiatives. Please contact Christina Setlow at csetlow@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, June 25 to testify.
July 1 -– Joint Education, Judiciary & Committee of the Whole Hearing on B21-66, the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015 -– 11am (Rm 412)
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on B21-0066, the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015. Please contact Kate Mitchell at kmitchell@dccouncil.us by close of business Friday, June 26 to testify.
July 6 -– Hearing on B21-239, the Testing Integrity Amendment Act of 2015 -– 1pm (Rm 123)
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on B21-0239, the Testing Integrity Amendment Act of 2015. Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, July 2 to testify.
July 8 -– Joint Education and Transportation & the Environment Roundtable on DGS Contracting and Procurement Practices for Constructing and Modernizing District of Columbia Public Schools -– 11am (Rm 500)
This roundtable is specifically on the Department of General Services contracting and procurement practices for constructing and modernizing facilities for DCPS. Please contact Aukima Benjamin at abenjamin@dccouncil.us by close of business Monday, July 6 to testify.
Today, the D.C. Auditor and the National Academy of the Sciences published a summative evaluation of the progress made in D.C. public education since the 2007 Public Education Reform Amendment Act, which fundamentally transformed education in our city. You can read and download the report below, and watch the hearing held by the Committee on Education on the report.
Councilmember Grosso provides a brief video update on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget that the D.C. Council passed on May 27, 2015. You can read more about the budget in Grosso's press releases and see the details of the Committee on Education's budget in its report. Grosso also invites community members to education town hall meetings over the next month and a half.
Please join Councilmember Grosso for community town hall events between June 16 and July 11, 2015. The Councilmember will hold a meeting in each Ward to hear from residents, parents, students, and education stakeholders about public education in the District of Columbia.
For Immediate Release
May 27, 2015
Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun
(202) 724-8105
D.C. Budget Passes with All of Grosso’s Priorities
Washington, D.C. –- Today, the D.C. Council voted on the bills that comprise the D.C. fiscal year 2016 budget–-the “Budget Request Act of 2015” and the “Budget Support Act of 2015.” Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) worked closely with his colleagues to ensure inclusion of his top priorities in the budget.
“This particular budget and vote is significant as it is my first while chairing the Committee on Education. For this Council period, education and housing were designated as the Council’s two top priorities. I am pleased that a comprehensive budget to benefit District of Columbia residents was developed in the areas of education, workforce development, transportation, and health and human services, with historic investments for a strategic pathway to end homelessness,” said Grosso.
Grosso’s Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Victories
Education
Under Grosso’s leadership, the Education Committee approved a $2.4 billion budget that reversed proposed cuts to the library system, supported modernization of the Martin Luther King, Jr. central library, and brought a new, objective approach to determining capital funding for D.C. Public Schools, based on equity and data, not politics. In the coming months, the Committee will hold town hall meetings in every ward to share the analytical framework for determining school modernization priorities. Grosso allocated $1.6 million for a new literacy intervention program, targeted at 3rd grade reading success. Equipping these young students with the basic building blocks of learning—reading and writing—will ensure that they are on track to succeed throughout their academic careers. Grosso transferred $760,000 to the Committee of the Whole to restore funding to the University of the District of Columbia that the Mayor had proposed to cut. Grosso also allocated almost $700,000 to DCPS to make up for funding losses at schools such as Wilson and Ballou High Schools, and $450,000 to restore funding for SAT and ACT test preparation courses for D.C. high school students. Grosso included language in the Budget Support Act that broadens the scope of the Bullying Prevention Taskforce and extends its term until August 2018. Grosso also allocated $266,000 to expand the Community Schools program, which supports students and their families by providing wrap-around services. New language in the Budget Support Act also strengthens the program and expands the pool of potential applicants to include middle schools. Meeting the needs of these students and their families in a comprehensive way is part of Grosso’s vision to put every student in the best position to learn and achieve.
The Arts
As a world class city, Grosso believes we must plan and develop strategies to sustain a thriving artistic and creative sector. To that end, Grosso identified and transferred $200,000 to the Committee of the Whole to fund a comprehensive, citywide cultural plan. This plan, housed in the Office of Planning, will enable the city to identify the current level of service for cultural groups in each neighborhood; detail the feedback from community outreach; establish a strategy to meet the specified needs of each community; quantify the economic impact of arts and culture; and ultimately put forth a targeted approach to increase cultural activity citywide.
Food Security & Recreation
Grosso believes a sustainable food system encourages local food production and distribution that makes nutritious food accessible and affordable to all D.C. residents. For this reason, he introduced the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act of 2014, which became official law on April 30, 2015. Grosso worked closely with the Committee of the Whole to ensure that the intent of the legislation was preserved and funded to move urban agriculture efforts forward in the city. The funding allocated for the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act enables residents using their property for urban agriculture purposes to take advantage of a 90% tax abatement program. Additionally, the legislation enables those tax exempt entities that allow farmers to grow and sell produce on their property to maintain their tax exempt status.
An additional program that has proven its value and has Grosso’s support is the Produce Plus Program, which is a farmers market incentive program designed to increase access to healthy and nutritious food options for low-income D.C. residents. The final budget includes $350,000 for this program to ensure that all our residents can afford to eat healthy.
Health & Human Services
As a strong supporter of reproductive and sexual health and rights, Grosso has worked to support programs such as peer-led sex education in schools and in this budget allocated $300,000 to the Committee on Health and Human Services for teen pregnancy prevention programs. This funding will help fill the gap left by the end of activities of a private foundation that supported such programs locally.
Throughout the budget process, Grosso has also been a vocal proponent of stepping up to the plate to end homelessness in D.C. He is very pleased that the Council’s approved budget builds on the Mayor’s proposed increases in homelessness and human services in line with the strategic plan developed by stakeholders.
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Below please find the full and final Education Committee Report and Recommendations on the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request and Budget Support Acts. The report and recommendations were unanimously approved by the Committee on May 14. Please note that all information contained here is subject to change prior to the full D.C. Council votes on the budget on May 27 and June 16.
The $2.4 billion budget for the city’s public education system, including public schools, charter schools, and libraries, next goes to the full Council for a vote.
By Kristi King, WTOP, May 12, 2015
WASHINGTON — New voices are joining the debate over a proposed power company merger and whether it would mean better or worse conditions for people now served by Pepco.
Twenty-two of the District’s 40 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions have declared their opposition to a deal for a Chicago-based company to buy Pepco, and they’re calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser to do the same.
“She needs to come out and say something,” said Judi Jones, a commissioner from Ward 4, said Tuesday at a rally on the steps of the Wilson Building.
“I don’t want to take a step backward,” At-Large D.C. Councilman David Grosso said at the rally in announcing his opposition to the merger.
“I don’t see Exelon as a full partner in the District of Columbia to continue the high standards we have for improving the environment and protecting the environment.”
Grosso and other opponents also fear that having Exelon, a company that generates power, as a parent company to Pepco, which is a distributor, will lead to higher rates.
D.C. Council members Mary Cheh, Charles Allen and Elissa Silverman are already on record saying they believe the merger would best serve the interests of power-company shareholders, but would eventually lead to higher utility rates, a degraded environment and lost local jobs.
The county executives from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties both want the Pepco-Exelon merger to go through. Rushern L. Baker III and Isiah Leggett say in a joint letter published in The Washington Post that the merger would increase power company accountability and the reliability of power supplied to the region.
A decision on the merger from Maryland’s Public Service Commission is expected Friday. A decision from the District’s Public Service Commission is expected this summer.
“The Pepco-Exelon is still under review by the mayor’s legal team. As the last jurisdiction to review the merger, the Bowser administration is committed to negotiating a resolution that best serves the interests of District residents and rate payers,” Bowser’s office said in a statement.
Pepco released the following statement about the proposed merger:
“Since announcing our proposed merger over a year ago, we’ve listened carefully to feedback in the District of Columbia. A diverse set of individuals and organizations — including District residents, business owners, organized labor, faith groups and local nonprofits — have voiced their support for the merger because they understand that it will provide substantial benefits to Pepco customers and communities, and to the District. A number of parties made constructive proposals, and in response, we substantially enhanced our proposed package to deliver even more value to the District and its citizens. Unfortunately, a few parties have taken a “just say no” position on the merger which, in our view, ignores the immediate and long-term benefits to customers and to the District that will not be available if the merger does not go forward.
“We believe that the merger is in the public interest and that the evidence supports this. The Public Service Commission will review the full record and rule in the interests of Pepco customers in the District. Pepco Holdings and Exelon have proposed a $34 million fund to be used for direct customer benefits in the District, and another $51 million in projected merger savings over 10 years will flow back to District customers through rates lower than they would be without the merger. We’ve enhanced our reliability performance commitments to reduce the frequency of outages by 36 percent and the length of outages by 40 percent in the District and have proposed stiffer financial penalties if we fall short of these goals. We’ve committed to keeping Pepco leadership, jobs and control local and to providing $16 million in charitable giving in the District over 10 years. We are committed to working to bring all of these benefits to the District when the merger closes.”
D.C. residents can comment to the Public Service Commission through May 25.
On May 12, 2015, Councilmember Grosso sent the below letter to the D.C. Public Service Commission expressing his concerns about, and opposition to, the proposed merger of the Exelon and Pepco utility companies. Grosso joined residents and other elected leaders to announce his opposition to the merger on the steps of the Wilson Building. The public can submit comments to the Public Service Commission until May 25--the Commission will decide whether the merger can go forward after that.
by Emily Crockett, RH Reality Check, May 8, 2015
A group of anti-choice organizations released a joint statement this week that, to many observers, seemed like a vow to commit civil disobedience and violate the District of Columbia’s new Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA).
It’s not clear, however, if these groups’ planned “resistance” would actually break the law, or whether their objections to the law have any grounding in reality.
“The statement from Alliance Defending Freedom and other groups shows that they still have not taken time to read or understand my legislation,” D.C. Councilmember David Grosso, who sponsored the reproductive health bill, told RH Reality Check via email.
The statement, signed by representatives of Americans United for Life, Susan B. Anthony List, March for Life, Concerned Women for America, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, pledged to “vigorously resist” alleged violations to their First Amendment rights under the new law.
The pledge comes on the heels of action by congressional Republicans to try, unsuccessfully for now, to block the new law. A resolution of disapproval of RHNDA failed to pass both the House and the Senate before a 30-day deadline, but Congress could still try to block it using the budget appropriations process.
“It is appalling that these organizations have sought congressional interference in our local legislative process and now claim an intention to disobey the law based on their own ignorance about what the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act does and does not do,” Grosso said.
The Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal website released the statement along with a report claiming that the groups are “putting themselves at risk of violating the law.”
It would in fact violate the law if the groups wanted to fire women for having an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, or fire men whose wives use birth control. The RHNDA amends D.C.’s Human Rights Act to protect employees from discrimination based on their, or their dependents’, personal reproductive health care choices for which some religious conservative employers have been known to fire women.
But if this is the anti-choice groups’ intent, it’s not at all clear from their statement. Instead, the groups appear to be using common misconceptions about what the bill actually does to support their arguments that the bill violates the religious freedom of employers.
“They claim they will not obey the D.C. Human Rights Act, yet their uninformed stance actually means they will be taking actions completely within the law,” Grosso said.
The anti-choice groups’ statement claims that RHNDA is “aimed squarely” at the organizations’ freedoms to “draw our workforces from among those who share our foundational commitment to the sanctity of human life” and to “purchase and provide employee health plans that comport with our pro-life beliefs.”
“Despite the enactment of this unjust law, we will continue to hire employees who share our commitment to the dignity of every member of the human family,” the statement concludes. “We will not abandon the purpose of our organizations in order to comply with this illegal and unjust law. We will vigorously resist any effort under RHNDA to violate our constitutionally protected fundamental rights.”
If all these groups want to do is hire people who share their views, or decline to provide comprehensive insurance that covers contraception and abortion, it doesn’t appear that RHNDA prohibits them from doing that.
The Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, as much as it rankled reproductive rights supporters and many D.C. Council members, is still the law of the land. Council members and aides have repeatedly said that nothing in the bill deals with insurance, and the bill now contains language clarifying that point.
That clarifying language is temporary, which the anti-choice groups objected to. But D.C. Council members plan to make that clarification permanent, even though some have argued that it would be redundant to do so.
As for the groups’ concerns about being able to hire people who share a “commitment” to their values, the law’s supporters say that groups can hire who they want, and that the purpose of the law is to prohibit firing an employee for their health-care choices.
“This is about ensuring that workers can make their own health decisions without their bosses’ intrusion, whether that is to initiate or terminate a pregnancy, whether that is taking birth control or in-vitro fertility treatments,” Grosso said.
Religious groups might argue that an employee’s abortion or use of birth control demonstrates a lack of “commitment” to their values, but that’s where the new law draws the line.
It’s possible, for instance, for a person to strongly identify as “pro-life” and Catholic but still use birth control funded by private insurance, or to have a daughter who does. Nothing seems to prohibit a group from refusing to hire someone who says they are pro-choice.
“If Concerned Women of America and the other groups are asking individual job applicants whether they use birth control, have had an abortion in the past, or have used assistive reproductive technologies, then they will be clearly violating the law, and doing so in a really despicable manner,” Grosso said.
He added that those employers are “well within their rights to evaluate a job applicant’s ability to execute the functions of the advertised position and seek employees who agree with the organizational mission.”
For Immediate Release
May 2, 2015
Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun
(202) 724-8105; (202) 285-6447
Grosso's Bill to Protect Workers from Discrimination Goes into Effect Today
Washington, D.C.--Today, the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014 (RHNDA), introduced by Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), becomes law in the District of Columbia. The RHNDA, which was passed unanimously by the D.C. Council and signed by the Mayor, prohibits employers from discriminating against workers based on their reproductive health choices. Grosso's bill was the target of a House vote on Thursday to disapprove--or overturn--the law, an action that has not been pursued for decades and was ultimately ineffective without subsequent passage in the Senate and approval of the President.
"This is an important day for all workers in the District of Columbia--to be free of discrimination based on their reproductive health choices," said Grosso. "My bill ensures that women and men can decide on their own health choices, in consultation with their medical professionals and without interference from their employers. I am especially gratified that D.C. residents and others across the country stood with us to defend my bill in the face of bullying and mischaracterization by members of the House. The failed effort by Chairman Chaffetz and other members of Congress to overturn my legislation reiterates, once again, the urgent necessity for D.C. to have budget and legislative autonomy, and ultimately statehood."
In addition to the RHNDA, the Human Rights Amendment Act of 2014 also came into effect today. This Act closes a long-standing loophole--the so-called "Armstrong Amendment"--to the D.C. Human Rights Act that allowed religious educational institutions to discriminate against LGBTQ students.
"It is a great day for human rights in our city with the elimination of the Armstrong Amendment as well," added Grosso. "I call on all members of the House and Senate to cease political grandstanding with their attacks on D.C. laws and instead focus on issues in their own backyard."
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By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post, April 29, 2015
D.C. Council member David Grosso proposed new rules Wednesday that would govern the council’s decisions about how to fund school renovations in the future, aiming to make more efficient and equitable use of the resources the city spends to improve public school facilities.
Councilmember Grosso and the Committee on Education invite your feedback on the DCPS Capital Improvement Plan priorities in the FY2016 budget.
By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post, April 23, 2015
A marathon school budget hearing kicked off Thursday morning with a group of elementary school students from Orr Elementary. Third-grader Rontay Hall told the Education Committee that the D.C. Council made a promise when he was in first grade that he would have a new school.
Across 111 schools, DCPS currently serves over 47,500 public school students. Next year, the system is projecting enrollment increases and after a couple of rounds of school closures will be opening new campuses. However, as many of you already know, for the most part, budgets across the District of Columbia government this year remained flat or experienced cuts.
For Immediate Release
April 21, 2015
Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun
(202) 724-8105
Grosso: Chaffetz Should Stop Attacking Human Rights
Washington, DC -- Today, Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) issued the following statement on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s vote to disapprove D.C.’s Reproductive Health Non-discrimination Amendment Act of 2014:
“Coming on the heels of efforts by Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz to bully the Mayor and Council in February, Chaffetz has decided to again attack D.C. self-government. Despite his avowed dedication to limiting the federal government, Chaffetz called for a vote today to overturn a local D.C. law that I proposed last year, the Council passed unanimously, and the Mayor signed.
I call on Congress and the President to reject this inappropriate meddling by Chairman Chaffetz in D.C. affairs. Surely the Congressman’s constituents in Utah would prefer that he focus on their concerns, and not on waging ideological battle against D.C. residents. Interestingly, Utah recently enacted a new law to provide limited non-discrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in that state. If Chaffetz is so concerned about protecting people’s right to discriminate, perhaps he should seek to overturn that law, in his state, and leave D.C. alone.
As I have said before, in D.C. we stand for the human rights of everyone, including reproductive rights. There is no human right to discriminate. Chairman Chaffetz should stop worrying about the Reproductive Health Non-discrimination Amendment Act and focus on the very real problems facing Congress.”
The Reproduction Health Non-Discrimination Act of 2014 amends the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977 to ensure that individuals are protected from discrimination by an employer or employment agency based on an individual’s or dependent’s reproductive health decision making, including a decision to use or access a particular drug, device, or medical services, on the basis of an employer’s personal beliefs about such services.
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The schedule for upcoming budget hearings for the Committee on Education of the D.C. Council.
For Emancipation Day 2015, Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter of greetings to the Pearl Coalition thanking them for their Emancipation Day activities and the efforts to honor the history of the "Pearl"--a schooner chartered by African Americans to help escaped slaves in 1848.