Jack Evans Report: 3 New Bills

The D.C. Council held its first legislative meeting of the new session – Council Period 21 – last week, with a flurry of legislation being introduced. Council rules limit members to three introductions at any Council meeting, and I am proud to have introduced bills to remove the Council from review of city contracts, support disabled veterans through a property tax exemption and re-establish the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation to revitalize “America’s Boulevard.”

The “Council Contract Review Repeal Act of 2015” would limit the way the Council is able to intervene in the contracting process. Too often there have been allegations of ethical violations by members of the Council when they are seen to be for or against a particular vendor – possibly due to the vendor’s personal or campaign connections to members or to their political opponents.

To attack the pay-to-play culture, we should go right to the source of the problem. The Council’s contract review is typically either a rubber stamp – with 90 percent of the contracts not getting read by anyone – or an opportunity for mischief. I believe contracting should happen through a merit-based selection process insulated from political pressure.

The “Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption Act of 2015” would provide an exemption from a portion of the property taxes assessed on the primary residence to (a) veterans classified as having a total and permanent disability and (b) veterans paid at the 100 percent disability rating level as a result of unemployability. This is an important piece of tax legislation that recognizes the contributions of our veterans.

In the 1970s, the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation was created by the federal government to help revitalize – and, at that point, clean up – the main thoroughfare from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. My bill, the “Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation Act of 2015,” would re-establish this entity to coordinate with all federal and local agencies for a smooth transformation of this grand boulevard. Given the recent attention to some of the federally-owned buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue NW – including the conversion of the Old Post Office into a luxury hotel and the ongoing efforts to relocate FBI headquarters – a coordinating entity is critical to ensure that the area is developed in a comprehensive manner with input from all stakeholders. It will also enable the District to leverage private as well as public resources.

These three bills are important to our Ward and to our District. I was pleased to have numerous co-introducers and co-sponsors on all three pieces of legislation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get these bills passed this session and to continue to move the District forward

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Council member, representing Georgetown since 1991.