DeVos would undermine quality of education in D.C.

Today, Councilmember David Grosso, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) urging them to oppose the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education in the Trump administration.

"Based on their merit, the responses Ms. DeVos gave at her confirmation hearing regarding the policies that she supports gave me grave concerns for the safety and education of the children of the District of Columbia," Grosso wrote.

Furthermore, it appeared that the nominee lacked the background to successfully serve as the nation's top education official.

"I am deeply concerned with Ms. DeVos’s lack of articulable basic knowledge about these laws and programs that protect the rights of our children and ensure their success both inside and outside of the classroom," he wrote.

He also raised issue with the nominee's support of vouchers, which have historically had negative impacts on education in D.C., undermining oversight, transparency, and accountability.

Read the full letter here:

Chairperson Grosso's Letter Opposing Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education by Team_Grosso on Scribd

D.C. recommits to human rights as new president takes office

On Tuesday I stood with Councilmember Robert White to announce to our residents and the new administration that the District of Columbia will continue to be a bastion of human rights and work to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Like many residents, I have been anxious since November. Throughout last year’s presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised policies that many brushed off as simple campaign rhetoric. In just the first few days of his presidency, he has confirmed that the bigotry, misogyny, racism, and xenophobia he espoused will guide his policymaking. 

We as elected leaders must stand up on behalf of our residents.  That’s why Councilmember White and I introduced the Sense of the Council Resolution in Reaffirmation of the Human Rights of District of Columbia Residents and in Opposition to Bigotry and Violence.  This document sets forth the entire Council’s opposition to many of the policies that were promised by Donald Trump.  And more importantly, that the Council of the District of Columbia will resist them.

As a Council, we resolved to:

• reject xenophobia, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, disparagement of people with disabilities, misogyny, and bigotry in any form.
• not cooperate with any effort to force individuals to register with the government based on their national origin or religious identity.
• remain committed to our status as a sanctuary city and not participate in any federal immigration enforcement strategies that endanger those within our city.
• welcome refugees and those fleeing violence and persecution.

The Council spoke with a unified voice.  Every member of the Council signed on as a co-introducer of these principles, which will now be sent to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

I also applaud Mayor Muriel Bowser’s efforts to reaffirm our sanctuary city status and set up the Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grant Program.  Increasing access to attorneys for our immigrant neighbors will dramatically increase positive outcomes for them in immigration court.

More needs to be done. That same day I introduced two bills to make D.C. an even more welcoming city by providing immigrants greater access to our educational and electoral institutions.

I doubt that these recent announcements from the White House will be the last to threaten the well-being of residents of the District of Columbia. I commit to looking at every single way we can continue to protect our residents from the aggressions of the new administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. Engaging with your local officials, including myself, and our staff will be integral to this effort.  I welcome and encourage your feedback.

We must stand together as a city.  Protecting our human rights cannot be done alone.  It must be the charge of all of our elected leaders and all of our residents. We must fight for each other. We must work for the most vulnerable among us. We must lift each other up. And we must love one another.

Read the full resolution adopted by the Council below:

Sense of the Council in Reaffirmation of the Human Rights of District of Columbia Resisdents by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso sends inquiry letter to DDOT on bicycle infrastructure East of the River

Today, Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter to the District Department of Transportation to inquire about studies and plans to bring more bicycle racks to Historic Anacostia. Councilmember Grosso noticed a complete lack of infrastructure for bicyclists while participating in the Peace Walk on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

We will update this post when we receive a response from DDOT.

Letter to DDOT on Bicycle Infrastructure EOTR by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Second letter sent to DDOT, DGS regarding lack of sidewalk outside Wilson Building

Councilmember Grosso sent a follow up letter to the District Department of Transportation and the Department of General Services to inquire about the lack of sidewalks in front of the Wilson Building; his initial letter received no response.

Councilmember Grosso believes access to adequate sidewalk space, especially around government buildings that the public should be able to access easily, is a public safety concern.  Pedestrians have been observed walking into the street while multiple lanes remain available to cars.

A sidewalk should be established in the roadway immediately to allow for pedestrian safe passage.

Here is the councilmember's letter sent today:

Follow-Up Letter to DDOT and DGS - Inaugural Stand Sidewalk by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Here is Councilmember Grosso's initial letter, sent December 7, 2016.

Letter to DDOT and DGS - Inaugural Stand Sidewalk by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso to present ceremonial resolution to recognize International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

Tomorrow, December 17, community members will hold a vigil in Northwest D.C. to commemorate the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Cities and towns around the world will be marking this event, which started in 2003, when sex workers, family members and allies gathered for the sentencing of Gary Ridgeway, the so-called Green River Killer. Ridgeway confessed to murdering over 70 women in Washington, many of them sex workers. He said of his victims: “I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught.”

Behind Ridgeway’s abhorrent statement is a recognition of a social attitudes that are widespread: that sex workers, people who trade sexual services for money or other things of value, are immoral criminals, who choose to put themselves in harm’s way, and deserve what they get. Indeed, even here in D.C., which generally strives to value the most vulnerable, sex workers have recounted their negative experiences reporting violence to the police. “They think you are the person doing the crime,” a sex worker told researchers in 2007 for the Move Along report, describing how police responded when he asked them for help. Another community member said of police and community reactions when a person suspected of being a sex worker is hurt or murdered: “They was out there tricking, so they were asking for it.” This research found that in D.C. when sex workers (or those assumed to be such) asked the police for help after being targeted for violence or other crimes, they only had a 50% chance of receiving a positive reaction from law enforcement.

Such challenges continue to this day, as recently reported in the Washington Post. The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is an effort to combat the stigma and discrimination facing people who deserve to have their human rights respected, no matter how they earn money. It is particularly a challenge for already marginalized communities, like transgender women of color, who are both more likely to engage in commercial sex and more likely to be profiled as such, according to another study, Access Denied, published by the D.C. Trans Coalition in 2015. More than half of transgender women of color respondents had engaged in trading sex for money, and they disproportionately reported experiencing physical and sexual assault.

To lend support to this movement to end violence and stigma against sex workers, the D.C. Council on December 6 passed the “International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers Recognition Resolution.” Councilmember Grosso will present this resolution on behalf of the Council on December 17 at the D.C. event. It continues Grosso’s commitment to advancing  human rights, including his support for Amnesty International’s call last year to decriminalize sex work in order to promote human rights and end violence. 

12052016 Intl Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers CR by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Council to take second vote on universal paid leave next week

Last week, the Council stepped up for D.C. working families by advancing paid family leave on its first vote.  I was proud to introduce that legislation along with Councilmember Silverman last year and thankful for the work of Chairman Mendelson to get it to where it is now.

Paid leave is good for workers and businesses. It provides financial stability to workers while allowing them to care for ailing family members. Parents who take leave after the arrival of a new child would return to work in better general health. More women would participate in the work place. Infant mortality would decline. Businesses would have a new benefit to offer that makes them more competitive and able to attract better workers. The list goes on. All this while continuing the upward trajectory of the District’s thriving economy, according to the Council’s budget office.

The legislation that we have advanced is the best option to bring paid family leave to the District of Columbia.

It’s true these benefits will be extended to all those who work in the District of Columbia, but that does not detract from D.C. residents’ eligibility for the program.

Some critics have called for a system that only provides benefits to District residents, where the annual pay outs to beneficiaries would be smaller. 

However, the cost per employee would be higher due to fixed set-up and administrative costs. The fund that provides the payout would also be less stable since it would have a smaller pool.

Worst of all, it would harm D.C. residents by creating a perverse incentive for D.C. businesses to hire Virginia and Maryland residents over District-based workers in order to avoid paying into the fund.

All of our workplace laws protect and provide benefits based on where people work, not live.  The minimum wage increase, which was championed by the mayor and unanimously passed by the Council earlier this year, goes to workers regardless of where they live.  It sends over $313 million into neighboring jurisdictions annually, though it benefits far fewer people then paid leave and is far more than the total $242 million in annual benefits that paid leave would offer to ALL D.C. workers.  We supported it anyways because it was the right thing to do for our workers who needed it most. 

Many people who work here, don’t live in this city.  Our lack of statehood disadvantages us as policymakers when trying to raise revenue from them.  But that has never stopped us from doing the right thing for our workers and our residents.

We recognize that the working families of D.C. can’t wait for the injustice of our second-class status to be righted before relieving them of having to make the difficult choice between a paycheck and caring for a loved one.  That’s why eleven members of the Council voted yes on paid leave.

So call, email, and tweet your Councilmembers THANKS for supporting paid leave last week!  You can find all their information here by visiting www.dccouncil.us/council. 

Grosso sends letter opposing installation of surveillance cameras in the Wilson Building

On Friday, November 18, 2016, Councilmember Grosso wrote a letter to Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Secretary to the Council Nyasha Smith opposing the recent actions taken to install surveillance cameras in the Wilson Building outside of offices of councilmembers.

Apart from being mere security theater with no safety benefits for councilmembers, staff or visitors, the cameras have a chilling effect on constituents' willingness to engage with their elected representatives.

Read the full letter below:

11182016 Letter to Chairman and Secretary - Cameras by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso requests funding to establish tax and regulate system for marijuana

Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), along with Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), today urged Mayor Muriel Bowser to release funds from the Contingency Reserve to allow the District of Columbia to move forward with creating a system for the taxation and regulation of marijuana.

Here is the full letter:

Letter to Mayor Bowser on Marijuana Regulation and Taxation by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso writes to Board of Elections about voter registration problem

Over the weekend, Councilmember Grosso heard from a long time resident, who has been voting in D.C. elections since 1964, that she received a notice of no longer being registered to vote from the D.C. Board of Elections. Subsequently, other residents also reached out with the same problem. After looking into it, Grosso found the agency's response inadequate and wrote to the Board today to ask that they address the issue immediately, as early voting for the 2016 election starts next month. See the letter below, followed by an example of what residents received--and the registration card that shows a birthdate in 1800, which is the source of the problem.

Update: Less than a day later, the Board of Elections responded to Councilmember Grosso's letter saying they will be sending a clarifying mailer to voters affected by the original confusing notice.  You can see their response below. 

DC Board of Elections Response to Councilmember David Grosso by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso Letter on Voter Registration by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DOH updates Grosso on opioid overdoses, LGBTQ policies, and other health issues

In August, Councilmember Grosso sent a lengthy letter outlining a number of concerns to Department of Health Director Nesbitt. The letter covered the agency’s response to the increase in opioid overdoses, changes to home visiting programs, updates on LGBTQ health policies, health impact assessments, and the agency’s medical marijuana program.

On September 13, Grosso received a response from Nesbitt, which you can view below along with Grosso’s original letter. This past week brought further progress on some issues, as the Council’s Committee on Health and Human Services passed the Substance Abuse and Opioid Overdoes Prevention Amendment Act of 2016 and the mayor announced the doubling of the amount of cannabis medical marijuana program participants may request in a month. Grosso, a member of the Committee on Health and Human Services, will continue to monitor these topics and push DOH to improve its policies and programs, and make them known to the public.

DOH Response Letter to Councilmember Grosso, Sept. 8, 2016 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso's original inquiry letter:

Councilmember Grosso's Letter to DOH, Aug. 22, 2016 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Ensuring Our Children's Safety On The Way To School

Guaranteeing our children not only feel safe at school, but also on their way to and from, allows them to focus on learning and is a primary concern of Councilmember Grosso.  In August, he requested that the Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and Chief of Police Cathy Lanier share their plans to keep students safe and what information they are sharing with parents. With the recent increases in violent crime and delays caused by Metro’s SafeTrack programming, these plans are even more important.

Deputy Mayor Niles responded to the councilmember with a letter laying out their efforts on school safety planning as well as for SafeTrack.  Below you can find the letter Councilmember Grosso received from the deputy mayor, a summary of the SafeTrack communications plan, the Metropolitan Police Department's Annual School Safety and Security Report, as well as the original letter Councilmember Grosso sent.

Letter from Deputy Mayor Niles on School Safety by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Transportation Working Group SafeTrack Communications Plan Summary by Team_Grosso on Scribd

MPD School Safety Annual Report - School Year 2016-17 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso Letter to MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and DME Jennifer Niles on School Safety by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Helping Miriam’s Kitchen provide “more than a meal”

In July, my staff and I took advantage of the Council recess period to volunteer at Miriam’s Kitchen in Foggy Bottom.

Miriam’s Kitchen does outstanding work assisting our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. On one of the hottest days of the year, they provided visitors a welcoming place to cool off, grab a drink of water, and wash up.  After I toured the facility, I had the opportunity to meet with guests who were participating in art therapy, hand out essential toiletries, and assist with meal preparation. 

Miriam’s Kitchen is so much “more than a meal”, as they like to say.

Throughout my experience, I was impressed by how Miriam’s staff and volunteers were not just serving guests, but treating them with respect and dignity, just like everyone deserves. They have developed a rapport with each visitor that allows them to address their specific needs, connect them with services, and help put them on the path out of homelessness.

I am dedicated to promoting the human rights of all the people of the District of Columbia through my work on the Council.  I believe that all have the right to integral facets of our society like access to quality education, health care, and employment.  Every day we grapple with how to address the myriad challenges facing residents who are experiencing homelessness and how those impede the fulfillment of those guarantees. 

I have spent my first term working on these issues, from making it easier for these residents to obtain identity documents that are critical to modern life, to ensuring that homeless students are in the best position to continue their education. Policy decisions often have immediate and longstanding impacts.  For this reason it is important for lawmakers to stay connected to what is happening on the ground to ensure we are getting it right.

There is still much to do to combat chronic homelessness in the District of Columbia. My staff and I look forward to the day when there is no longer a need for organizations like Miriam’s Kitchen.  Until then, we’ll be back as soon as we can to do our part hands-on, in addition to our daily policy work. I hope you will consider volunteering your time to support Miriam’s Kitchen and the people they serve.  You can learn more at www.miriamskitchen.org/volunteer.

DCHR Modifies Use of Offensive Gender Terms at Grosso's Urging

At the urging of Councilmember Grosso, the Department of Human Resources (DCHR) has modified the offensive gender terms utilized on a background check application form administered by an outside vendor.

Originally, when filling out the form, candidates and employees would be presented with gender options that were unacceptable and inconsistent with the D.C. Human Rights Act. DCHR worked with the FBI and the vendor, Fieldprint, to modify the gender options to “Female”, “Male”, and “Other”.

Councilmember Grosso believes all D.C. residents and employees should be treated with dignity and respect and appreciates the quick remediation of the issue on the part of DCHR.

Below, you will find the letter from DCHR.  The original letter from Councilmember Grosso to the city administrator can be found here.

Letter to Councilmember Grosso from D.C. Department of Human Resources by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso exchange with DCPL over anti-Mulsim incident

During an oversight hearing with the D.C. Public Library this spring, Councilmember Grosso asked Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan and Board of Trustees President Greg McCarthy about an incident at Shaw Library in March. A DCPL police officer asked a library patron to remove her hijab, a headcovering used by many Muslim women, and allegedly threatened her with arrest if she did not comply. Mr. Reyes-Gavilan and Mr. McCarthy both committed to following up on the incident and ensuring that similar incident would not happen again. Grosso sent a letter this summer to inquire about the library's complaint process, training, and other actions taken to address the incident.  You can read Grosso's letter and the library's response below.

Grosso Exchange With DCPL on Anti-Muslim Incident at Shaw Library by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso Requests Fix to Offensive Gender Terms on Background Check Form

Today, Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter to City Administrator Rashad Young requesting remediation of offensive and unacceptable language relating to an individual's gender identity on a background check application form administered by an outside vendor utilized by the D.C. Department of Human Resources.

Councilmber Grosso Letter to City Administrator Young Re Background Checks by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso Receives Update from DHS on Efforts to Serve Homeless LGBTQ Youth

Councilmember Grosso remains passionate about helping people experiencing homelessness and has consistently led on these issues while on the Council. After Grosso and his colleagues passed two important bills addressing homelessness among youth in 2014, the LGBTQ Homeless Youth Reform Act and the End Youth Homelessness Act, the District of Columbia has come a long way in improving its response to young people who are homeless.

Earlier this year, D.C. published the results of its first ever census of homeless youth and found that almost half identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity). The survey also found that over 300 young people are literally homeless, with hundreds more in precarious housing situations (like couch surfing). Based on these findings, the Council and the Mayor included $2.3 million in new funds in the fiscal year 2017 budget for homeless youth services.

Councilmember Grosso was concerned that this money be properly allocated based on the data—with a significant portion of it going to fund additional beds and services for LGBTQ youth. In July, the Councilmember wrote a letter to Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger, asking her about the agency’s plans for youth homelessness funding for the coming fiscal year and how LGBTQ-specific services would be augmented. Director Zeilinger’s response shows that the agency has been thoughtful about this process and is already in the process of awarding new grants with the goal of expanding those services.

You can read both Councilmember Grosso’s original inquiry and Director Zeilinger’s response below.

Grosso Letter to DHS on LGBTQ Homeless Youth by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DHS Response Letter to Councilmember Grosso by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Birth Certificate Fee Waiver for Homeless Individuals Included in Budget

Over the past year, Councilmember Grosso has been working to make it easier for D.C. residents to get access to identity documents, including birth certificates, identity cards, and driver’s licenses.

These documents are critical to modern daily life and Grosso began to learn in 2015 from advocates about the challenges that many residents face in obtaining them. Since then he has worked with his colleagues and groups like Bread for the City, Miriam’s Kitchen and Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless to tackle these issues.

Grosso introduced legislation to waive fees for various identity documents for low-income residents, worked with the Department of Human Services and Department of Motor Vehicles to help homeless residents get IDs more easily, and co-introduced legislation to make driver’s licenses more accessible to undocumented immigrants and low-income residents.

The latest victory in these efforts happened during the budget process. Grosso was able to secure language in the budget to waive the fee for copies of birth certificates for residents who are homeless.

The Department of Health will implement this policy starting October 1, 2016, the start of the new fiscal year.  Until recently, some social service providers in the city would help cover these costs, but they are no longer providing that service.

A birth certificate is critical to helping an individual exit homelessness, yet is easy to lose during the course of unfortunate events that someone who is homeless might experience. Including this language in the budget is a small but important win, and Grosso will continue the push to make it easier for residents to obtain identity documents. 

BSA Vital Records Fees Amendment Act of 2016 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso Receives Update from Department of Health on Medical Marijuana

In June, Councilmember Grosso sent a letter to Dr. LaQuandro Nesbitt, Director of the D.C. Department of Health about the department's medical marijuana program after hearing concerns from constituents about barriers to participation in the program.  Below are the original letter and the response from DOH.

Councilmember Grosso's Letter to Department of Health regarding medical marijuana program by Team_Grosso

Below is the response from the Department of Health on questions raised by Councilmember Grosso:

Department of Health Response Letter to Councilmember Grosso regarding medical marijuana program by Team_Grosso

Grosso and Department of Health exchange letters on LGBTQ health

In May, Councilmember Grosso wrote to Director of the Department of Health Dr. Nesbitt regarding implementation of his bill LGBTQ Cultural Competency Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2015, which became law on April 6, 2016, as well as other LGBTQ health issues including data collection under the BRFSS and a local survey. On June 10, the Director responded. You can read both letters below:

Councilmember Grosso's letter:

Grosso Letter to DOH Director Nesbitt on LGBTQ Health Issues

Director Nesbitt's response:

DOH Director Nesbitt Response to Grosso on LGBTQ Health Issues