January 12, 2017 | Vol. 3, Issue 2
Dear Washingtonians,
This week, I released my Year Two Transition Plan Accountability Report. This report offers a comprehensive look into my Administration’s
goals and priorities, details our progress on the commitments we made
during the transition, and delivers on my
promise to lead a more transparent and accountable government.
Over the past two years, Washington, DC has made a lot of progress - crime is down, graduation and enrollment rates are up, and our population is the highest it's been in forty years. In 2017, we will push for more progress and we will double down on protecting our DC values.
As we head into the second half of my first term and adjust to new leadership at the federal level, my Administration remains committed to:
-
respecting
the free exercise of religion and love;
-
serving
all DC residents no matter their immigration status;
-
reforming
our criminal justice system and providing second chances;
-
accelerating
school reforms that give all children, in every ward, the opportunity to
thrive;
-
empowering
women and girls and investing in their education, healthcare and
aspirations; and
-
upholding
the belief that safe and affordable housing and access to healthcare are
critical building blocks on the pathway to the middle class.
These
are our DC values, and as your Mayor, I will fight for them, invest in them and
protect them.
This week's newsletter is dedicated to highlighting some of the steps my Administration has already taken in 2017 to protect and uphold DC's values.
Sincerely,
The Bowser Administration believes that Washington, DC is strongest and our streets are safest when all District residents can hold jobs, take care of their families, report crimes, and live their lives without fearing deportation.
In November, Mayor Bowser hosted a community conversation with over 5,000 DC residents. The conversation was an opportunity for residents to share their post-Election Day concerns and anxieties and for Mayor Bowser to reaffirm Washington, DC's status as a sanctuary city.
This week, Mayor Bowser acted on her word to continue supporting immigrants in the District and announced that the DC Government will provide $500,000 to community-based organizations, private organizations, associations, and law firms that do legal work for immigrants in Washington, DC.
Through the newly created Immigrant Justice Legal Services (IJLS) grant program, the DC Government will fund organizations that:
- help DC residents convert green cards to citizenship;
- renew DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) applications and work permits for DC residents;
- conduct Know Your Rights briefings and workshops;
- help prepare asylum applications and provide legal representation at hearings for DC residents;
- represent DC residents in deportation proceedings;
- protect financial assets and custody for DC children in the face of potential deportation of parents or guardians;
- help people and businesses conduct affairs through ITIN numbers;
- file any lawsuits that may become necessary to challenging the use of DACA applications for finding or deporting undocumented persons;
- help file applications for S, T, U and Special Immigrant Juvenile visas for DC residents or family members of DC residents; and
- provide legal help for family reunification efforts for families with at least one DC resident.
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As our country prepares to complete the peaceful transition of power at the federal level, many people in DC and beyond have concerns about whether they will continue to have acccess to affordable healthcare.
On Friday, Mayor Bowser sent a letter to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging caution as Congress considers a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which has helped to expand healthcare coverage to more than 96 percent of District residents.
Read the full text of Mayor Bowser's letter to House Majority Leader McCarthy HERE.
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Creating a safer, stronger DC remains a top priority for Mayor Bowser. Over the past two years, the District of Columbia has seen a nine percent decrease in total crime, with violent crime down seven percent and property crime down nine percent. In addition, burglaries are down by one-third and car thefts are down by almost one-quarter.
Enhancing MPD's Community Policing
This year, to build on the city’s progress and ensure that the District is using all resources as efficiently as possible, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has implemented sector policing. Sector policing has been lauded by experts as an innovative, proactive community policing technique that improves accountability and performance by creating a single chain of command. The sector model also ensures that younger command staff can be mentored by more experienced colleagues.
Learn more about the District’s sector policing strategy HERE.
Reforming DC's Criminal Justice System
In 2017, Mayor Bowser will stay committed to working with her partners on the Council and in the federal government to reform DC's complex criminal justice system.
In the first week of the new year, the Mayor signed
legislation that makes it a criminal offense for persons on probation or parole
to tamper with GPS monitoring devices. The legislation closes a critical loophole in DC's criminal justice system that previously allowed individuals on supervised release who were ordered to
wear electronic monitoring devices to go unpunished after removing, disabling,
or tampering with the device. Under the new law,
individuals found guilty of tampering with their GPS monitoring devices can
face up to six months in jail.
Giving Residents a Fair Shot at a Second Chance
When residents who have been involved in the criminal justice system pay their debts to society and stick to the terms of their release, the Bowser Administration believes they deserve a fair shot at a second chance.
This week, Mayor Bowser announced that her Administration will move forward with plans to change a District law that currently acts as a barrier to reentry for some DC residents.
Since 1992, federal law has required states to certify that they have laws to automatically revoke or suspend the driver’s licenses of residents convicted of a drug offense, and the District has signed this certification annually to avoid losing federal highway funding.
Under current DC code, the District automatically revokes or suspends driver’s licenses for drug offenses even when the crime does not involve a motor vehicle. This practice creates a significant barrier to successful reentry, as many jobs require a driver’s licenses to perform the work, licenses constitute necessary ID for many people, and many employment opportunities are not easily accessible through public transportation. However, DC will join the majority of U.S. states that have
already ended this misguided practice without penalty or loss of funding by simply opting out.
This change will ensure that DC's criminal
code is tailored to public safety, not maintaining antiquated and ineffective
policies that place unnecessary burdens on District residents.
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