Press Release: At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds Introduces Legislation to Provide Seniors with Air Conditioning, Also Passes Bill That Preserves More Affordable Housing Units

News Release — At-large DC Council member Anita Bonds

Wednesday, February 05, 2020 

Contact: Emmanuel Brantley

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds, Chairwoman of the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, introduced the “Keeping Cool Elderly Tenants and Tenants with a Disability Amendment Act of 2020.” This legislation requires that housing providers, upon request, to provide air conditioning in apartment units that are rented to elderly tenants and tenants with a disability during the hot summer months.

While the District’s housing code requires housing providers to heat apartments and maintain certain minimum temperatures during the winter in residential buildings, the code does not require that air conditioning be provided during the summer. The lack of air conditioning can cause severe medical risks for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and persons with a disability. With the global rise in temperatures in recent years, both groups are increasingly at risk to the consequences of heat-related illnesses.

“Recent temperatures have been some of the warmest on record,” said Councilmember Bonds. “And many of our elderly renters and tenants living with disabilities do not have the financial capability to purchase and maintain air conditioners. This legislation ensures that their apartment units will not be unsafe due to the rising temperatures,” she continued.

The cities of Dallas, TX and North Las Vegas, NV have already enacted comparable laws to protect their residents. If passed, the District of Columbia will be among the first jurisdictions on the east coast to take this step.

Additionally, At-Large Councilmember Bonds shepherded the passage of the “Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act of 2020” into law. The legislation will preserve the District’s affordable housing stock by discouraging housing providers from consolidating multiple housing units into fewer ones in small residential buildings, with exemptions in certain circumstances. This legislation also closes a loophole that allows housing providers to evict tenants under the false claim that they will personally sell or occupy a unit once the tenant vacates.

Join the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization for a performance oversight hearing on the Rental Housing Commission and the Office of the Tenant Advocate on Thursday, February 6. On Monday, February 10, the committee will hold another performance oversight hearing on the Housing Finance Agency and will hear from government witnesses regarding the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Housing Production Trust Fund.

All who wish to testify are encouraged to contact housing@dccouncil.us or call 202-724-8198. To see the full performance oversight schedule, visit https://tinyurl.com/DCOversight2020.

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