Press Release: Emergency Bill Asks Mayor to Partner on Omicron Response Funding

News Release — At-large DC Council member Elissa Silverman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Sam Rosen-Amy (Councilmember Silverman)

Requests Urgent Funding for Public Schools, COVID Leave, & Rent Assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2022 – Recognizing that putting the necessary public health strategies in place to mitigate the Omicron variant requires urgent funding, D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large) introduced emergency legislation asking the Mayor to send the D.C. Council a supplemental budget bill to use the city’s additional and surplus revenue to sustain the downward trend in COVID community transmission. The legislation asks the Mayor to partner on providing high-quality masks for District public school students, expanded covid leave for District government workers, temporary raises for hard-to-fill positions like substitute teachers, immediate HVAC repairs in schools, and additional emergency rental assistance, by funding these critical items through a supplemental budget.

“The mayor has already made big investments in certain strategies like PCR and rapid testing, which has paid off,” said Silverman. “What this bill asks is that the mayor join with the Council in making sure funding is in place for other proven strategies, like making sure our students have high-quality masks and well-ventilated classrooms, our workers don’t show up when they might be carriers of the virus, and our working families remain in safe housing.”

There have been many calls for the Council to spend additional funds on these items, but according to D.C. law, the Council cannot allocate money unless the Mayor first sends the Council a budget bill. Mayor Bowser will be sending down her Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget proposal on March 16, but that legislation will not be voted on by the Council until May. The emergency legislation requests an additional, “supplemental,” budget bill for the current fiscal year, FY 2022, to spend the extra revenue certified by the District’s Chief Financial Officer’s most recent revenue forecast. The bill will be on the agenda for the Council’s meeting on Tuesday and will require nine votes to pass.

“I want to thank the Mayor for the steps she has taken so far to combat this pandemic. Cases are falling fast, but we know this pandemic isn’t over,” Silverman said. “We know our students need better masks, their classrooms need working heaters, and our most vulnerable residents need help to stay housed. I hope to work with my colleagues and the Mayor for a budget bill to meet these urgent needs as quickly as possible.”

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