Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                        A RESOLUTION

                                              24-219

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                          August 3, 2021

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Coronavirus

       Support Temporary Amendment Act of 2021 to extend the authority of Advisory

       Neighborhood Commissions to approve grants for the purpose of providing humanitarian

       relief during the public emergency.

        RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

resolution may be cited as the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Humanitarian Relief

Extension Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2021.

         Sec. 2. (a) Shortly after the onset of the public health emergency related to the

coronavirus pandemic, the Council acted to permit Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to use

their available funding to issue grants to organizations for the purpose of providing humanitarian

relief, including food or supplies during the public health emergency or to otherwise assist in the

response to the public health emergency anywhere in the District, even if those services were

duplicative of services also performed by the District government.

         (b) Under pre-existing law, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions were unable to issue

grants to address critical needs, such as food, to organizations providing services similar to those

already provided by the District government or to issue grants for work outside the Commission

area.

         (c) A number of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, however, had accumulated

substantial savings and felt compelled to respond to severe needs across the District that were not

being adequately addressed by the District government and, as a result, requested and obtained a

change in the law, allowing them the flexibility to use their resources to meet unmet needs in

their communities and across the District.

         (d) Throughout the public health emergency, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions

issued thousands of dollars in grants to address critical humanitarian needs resulting from the

coronavirus pandemic.

         (e) The declared public health emergency came to an end on July 25, 2021, again

restricting the ability of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to continue to fund humanitarian

relief despite ongoing community needs.

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        (f) Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners did not anticipate this change and several

Commissions were in the process of issuing humanitarian grants or were planning to continue

their humanitarian relief efforts.

        (g) To ensure that Advisory Neighborhood Commissions can continue to support

District-wide relief efforts as the pandemic continues and new coronavirus variants spread, it is

necessary to amend the Coronavirus Support Temporary Amendment Act of 2021 to restore

grant-making flexibility to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions on an emergency basis.

       Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute

emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions

Humanitarian Relief Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 be adopted after a single

reading.

       Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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