jonetta rose barras: The hot mess of democracy in DC
Truth be told, DC home rule has been a hot mess since Congress approved it in December 1973. Residents may have acquired the right to elect a mayor, city council and advisory neighborhood commissioners. However, the DC Home Rule Act as…
District Links: House panel advances bills to alter DC criminal justice laws, amend home rule…
At the conclusion of a daylong markup session, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted last night almost exclusively along party lines to advance 13 bills that would amend or repeal several DC criminal justice laws and…
District Links: House panel voting today on GOP bills blasted by DC officials as infringing on home…
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is in the midst of marking up a series of bills to repeal and alter multiple DC criminal justice laws — with sometimes heated debate falling along party lines, aside from consensus on…
District Links: Norton speaks out ahead of committee markup on DC-related GOP bills; Owolewa,…
Ahead of tomorrow morning's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting to mark up 14 DC-related bills, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says she intends to speak on all of them — the bulk of which would repeal or alter local…
District Links: Councilmembers warn of ‘unprecedented attack’ on DC autonomy ahead of…
In conjunction with President Donald Trump's focus on crime and public safety in DC, the GOP-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has scheduled a meeting Wednesday to consider more than a dozen DC-related bills…
District Links: Congress expected to let Trump’s DC emergency lapse without voting on…
In the wake of Mayor Muriel Bowser's order laying out continued cooperation and coordination with federal law enforcement agencies, GOP leaders in Congress reportedly don't plan to schedule a vote on extending the federalization of DC's…
District Links: AG Schwalb files lawsuit to halt National Guard deployment in DC; House GOP bills…
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit today in federal court in an effort to halt the ongoing National Guard deployment in the District, which he characterized as "not only unnecessary and unwanted" but also "dangerous and harmful."…
District Links: Bowser frames new mayor’s order as a way to ‘exit the emergency’…
A day after issuing a mayor's order that outlines an ongoing framework for requesting and using federal resources to enhance public safety in DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser blasted suggestions that in doing so she was "welcoming" a continuation…
District Links: Bowser’s stance on federal surge draws criticism from local coalition, praise…
A day after President Donald Trump praised Mayor Muriel Bowser and declared that her cooperation with federal officials is boosting her local popularity, a coalition of 100-plus progressive organizations, churches and unions is calling on…
District Links: AG Bondi cites ‘productive meeting’ with Bowser over crime-fighting…
A day after President Donald Trump ordered temporary federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department and deployment of National Guard troops in response to disputed claims of "out-of-control crime" in DC, various local leaders are…
District Links: Senate’s GOP majority approves Jeanine Pirro as U.S. attorney for DC; Park…
The U.S. Senate voted Saturday evening along party lines to confirm President Donald Trump's nomination of former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
District Links: DC Council advances RFK redevelopment deal in 9-3 vote; MPD establishes enhanced…
The DC Council voted 9-3 this afternoon in favor of initial approval of a revised deal with the Washington Commanders for mixed-use redevelopment of the RFK Stadium campus — the result of lawmakers' negotiations in recent weeks that…
jonetta rose barras: DC Councilmember Robert White winds up humming to the mayor’s affordable…
Earlier this week, moments before the DC Council began debating its massive $22 billion Fiscal Year 2026 Budget and Financial Plan, members took their first vote on comprehensive housing legislation known as the “Rebalancing Expectations…
Council posts RFK bill as talks continue on ‘housing accountability and labor matters’;…
The DC Council posted text today around noon of the revised RFK campus development legislation proposed by Chair Phil Mendelson, but further revisions are expected ahead of tomorrow's votes on the bill amid ongoing talks with the…
District Links: DC Council hears from Commanders, Bowser on RFK stadium deal after yesterday’s…
After receiving testimony late into the night from hundreds of public witnesses yesterday, the DC Council's two-day hearing on the RFK campus redevelopment continues today with testimony from Mayor Muriel Bowser and Washington Commanders…
District Links: Council approves FY 2026 budget package after split vote on tipped wages; GOP bill…
The DC Council yesterday voted 10-2 to approve legislation underlying the District's fiscal year 2026 budget, but did so only after a series of closely divided votes on multiple amendments to both the Budget Support Act and the Local…
District Links: DC Council debates FY 2026 budget amendments ahead of final action later today;…
The DC Council is voting today on a flurry of proposed amendments on contentious matters related to the District's fiscal year 2026 budget — including an attempted compromise over the tipped minimum wage being phased out under Initiative…
District Links: Mendelson’s revised RFK deal draws pushback from legislators seeking further…
The revised RFK stadium deal outlined yesterday by DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson is drawing pushback from several legislators, who say they're looking for further modifications before they'd be willing to vote next Friday in favor of…
jonetta rose barras: DC’s summer of significance
Typically, at this time of year, it’s mostly crickets around the John A. Wilson Building: the DC Council has recessed, and its members have scattered to their various vacation spots. However, deep into July, Chair Phil Mendelson is facing…
District Links: Council set to vote next week on revised RFK stadium deal; GOP bill would enable…
The DC Council will vote next Friday on a deal with the Washington Commanders for redevelopment of the expansive RFK stadium campus, with revised terms that Council Chair Phil Mendelson estimated will save DC taxpayers between $779 million…