The Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary is responsible for any legislation related to criminal, civil, and administrative law in the District of Columbia. It also oversees all of the District’s public safety agencies, conducting hearings to hold agencies and their directors accountable for performance and spending.  For more information on the Committee and the agencies under its purview, click here.


2.18.10 - Hearing Scheduled on Director of Homeland Security Agency Nominee
On Thursday, February 18, 2010, Councilmember Mendelson will hold a public hearing on PR 18-631, the Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Millicent D. Williams Confirmation Resolution of 2010.  The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony from government and public witnesses as to the fitness of the nominee to serve as Director of HSEMA.  

The hearing will begin at 10:00am in Hearing Room 120.  To learn more, or to sign up to testify, please contact Ms. Deborah Kelly at (202) 724-7808 or dkelly@dccouncil.us.

 

2.8.10 - Mendelson to Hold Hearing on Drug Related Offenses
Councilmember Mendelson will hold a hearing on legislation that would increase the penalty for PCP possession in the District.  Bill 18-556, the Liquid PCP Possession Amendment Act of 2009, would create a felony penalty for the possession of liquid phencyclidine (PCP). 

The hearing will begin at 10:30am in Hearing Room 412.  To learn more, or to sign up to testify, please contact Ms. Deborah Kelly at (202) 724-7808 or dkelly@dccouncil.us.

 

2.4.10 - Mendelson to Hold Hearing on Residential Tranquility Act
On February 4, 2010, Councilmember Mendelson will hold a hearing on Bill 18--63, the Residential Tranquility Act of 2009.  The intent of this legislation is to address resident concerns about targeted and aggressive picketing in residential areas.  In response to these concerns, the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary has convened meetings with stakeholders in order to clarify intent.  As a result of those meetings, the Committee has developed a draft committee print that will be considered at the February 4th hearing.  Click here to view the draft committee print.   

The hearing will begin at 10:00am in Hearing Room 412.  To learn more, or to sign up to testify, please contact Ms. Deborah Kelly at (202) 724-7808 or dkelly@dccouncil.us.

 

2.2.10 - Attorney General Clarification Legislation Approved by Council Committee
Legislation moved by Councilmember Mendelson was approved by the Council at the February 2, 2010 Legislative Meeting.  Bill 18-65, the Attorney General Clarification and Elected Term Amendment Act of 2009, was approved by Mendelson's Committee on Wednesday, December 16, 2009.  Bill 18-65 makes clear in the law what is axiomatic: that the responsibility of the Attorney General is to serve the citizens of the District.  The legislation codifies the institutional independence and makes modifications to strengthen the position of Attorney General through the establishment of minimum qualifications and a term of service.  A major substantive change to the Attorney General position under Bill 18-65, however, is in the selection process.  Title II of this legislation, upon enactment by the United States Congress, would allow for the direct election of the Attorney General by the citizens of the District.  The clear trend throughout the United States is toward the election of the jurisdiction’s chief legal officer.  Permitting District residents to elect their Attorney General is not only in keeping with this trend, but would provide greater structural independence as well as elevate the position’s importance.  Click the link to view the Committee Report or the Committee Print.

 

1.27.10 - Mendelson Releases Final Report in FEMS Apparatus Disposition Investigation
On Wednesday, January 27th, Councilmember Mendelson released the Committee's findings in an investigation into the attempted disposition of a fire engine and ambulance to the city of Sosua in the Dominican Republic.  The report cites a lack of internal controls and transparency in the disposition, as well as the Executive's failure to cooperate with the Committee's oversight.  Click here to view the full Committee report.

 

1.21.09 – Mendelson Holds Hearing on Two Crime Bills
On Thursday, January 21, 2009, Councilmember Mendelson held a public hearing on two crime measures.  The first, Bill 18-526, the Public Transportation Criminal Penalties Act of 2009, would establish increased penalties for crimes within a 50 foot zone surrounding transit stops for public transportation.  This includes crimes such as murder, manslaughter aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, mayhem or maliciously disfiguring, threats to do bodily harm, sexual abuse, robbery, larceny, motor vehicle theft, attempted motor vehicle theft, carjacking, or kidnapping.  The second measure, Bill 18-555, the School Safe Passage Emergency Zone Act of 2009, would authorize the Chief of Police to declare areas surrounding public schools a school safe passage emergency zone for a period not to exceed 5 consecutive school days, and to establish a criminal offense for persons congregating within such a zone for purposes of assault-related offenses, crimes of violence, or dangerous crimes after being ordered to disperse.

 

12.15.09 - Council Approves Same-Sex Marriage Legislation Approved by Mendelson's Committee
On Tuesday, December 15, 2009,  the Council approved Bill 18-482, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.  This legislation, as advanced by Mendelson's Committee, would clarify that marriage between 2 people in the District of Columbia shall not be denied or limited on the basis of gender, ensure that no minister of any religious society who is authorized to solemnize or celebrate marriages shall be required to solemnize or celebrate any marriage, and ensure the protection of religious freedom with regard to the provision of services, accommodations, facilities, or goods related to the celebration or solemnization of a same-sex marriage.  The legislation also allows domestic partners to convert their domestic partnership into a marriage without paying an additional fee.  Click the link to view the Committee Report, attachments, or the Committee Print.

The Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary held a public hearing on Bill 18-482 on Monday, October 26, 2009.  Due to the large number of witnesses (269) that registered to testify on this legislation, the Committee held a continuation of the hearing on Monday, November 2, 2009.  Over the course of these two days, the Committee heard testimony from 219 witnesses, totaling nearly 17 hours of testimony.  A copy of all testimony received before the record closed on November 9, 2009 -- both written statements received from those who testified as well as comments submitted by individuals and organizations seeking to weigh in on the proposed legislation -- has been filed as part of the official record for Bill 18-482 with the Legislative Services Division of the Council of the District of Columbia.

 

 

 

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Phil in the News

1.25.10 - Many Workers Unaware of D.C. Sick-Leave Law Passed in 2008 (Washington Post)
"The law is ineffective if workers are unaware of their rights," D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) wrote in a Jan. 6 letter to Department of Employment Services Director Joseph P. Walsh.

1.22.10 - Little Accord on School, Transit Safety Zones for DC (DC Examiner)
"Both of these bills attempt to get at a problem of violence that involves minors, in particular minors who are attempting to attend school," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, public safety chairman.

1.21.10 - DC Fire Running Millions Over Budget (DC Examiner)
"I don't see how this cycle's getting any better," at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, chairman of the D.C. Council's public safety panel, said Wednesday during his latest oversight hearing into pay and overtime problems at FEMS. "Where's the plan that shows how that number's going to be reduced?"

1.19.10 - DC Council Bill Proposes Up to 5 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (Washington Post)
"We have seen an increasing number of states that have moved in the direction of permitting medical marijuana, so we are moving forward," said council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

1.13.10 - Circulator Would Cross Potomac, Not Anacostia (DC Examiner)
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson disagreed. The council should not wait to bring the Circulator to  poorer neighborhoods, he said. "People are tired of waiting," he said. "They want service."

1.12.10 - Terror Threat to City Water (DC Examiner)
The switch is "absolutely a good sign" for homeland security in the nation's capital, said Mendelson, chairman of the public safety committee. But a broader fear remains: Dangerous materials are regularly transported through the District by rail, Mendelson said, and the federal government is far too secretive with that information.

1.9.10 - Man Who Reported Jail Beating Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge (DC Agenda)
Burrows’ jail beating allegation has prompted LGBT activists and D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) to call on the city’s Department of Corrections to give a full account of the incident. Mendelson chairs a Council committee with jurisdiction over the jail.

1.8.10 - Fired DC Paramedic in Rosenbaum Case Ordered Back on the Job (DC Examiner)
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, who helped lead the rescue agency's reforms, said Thursday's decision was a disaster. "No one benefits from this, except Ms. Walker -- who gets four years' back pay for not working -- and her lawyers," Mendelson said.

1.6.10 - DC Council Moves to Curb Sidewalk Smoking, Youths' Access to Tobacco (Washington Post)
"We are trying to reduce underage smoking, so we are putting in a penalty," said council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

1.6.10 - DC Jail Guards Accused of Beating Gay Inmate (DC Agenda)
When informed about Burrows’ alleged jail beating, D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who chairs the Council committee that oversees the jail and Department of Corrections, said he, too, would make inquires to learn more about what happened.

1.5.10 - DC Council Seeks to Make Attorney General an Elected Job (Washington Post)
Nickles "is a typical spokesman for the mayor," said council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the committee and a co-sponsor of the bill. "The office has repeatedly issued letters as if they were independent opinions but clearly state the political positions of the mayor's administration."

1.5.10 - DC Council Takes Up Tighter Smoking Restrictions (DC Examiner)
"I think we can't get any further unless you want to ban smoking on sidewalks," at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Committee of Public Safety and the Judiciary, said last month.

1.4.10 - DC Cops Uncover Multiple Rapists (DC Examiner)
D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson, D-at large, a longtime advocate for a modern crime lab, said the DNA matches "show the importance of the technology." "It'll make a big difference to lock these people up," he said.

12.28.09 - DC Eyes Stiffer Penalties for PCP Possession (DC Examiner)
[Mendelson] drafted legislation before the Council that would increase possession of liquid PCP to a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.  "When an individual is arrested with liquid PCP, it's difficult for the U.S. attorney to get a conviction because the quantity is so small..."

12.27.09 - Top DNA Doctor Transferred Out of DC Police Amid Turmoil (DC Examiner)
Councilman Phil Mendelson, D-at large, a longtime advocate for a modern crime lab, says the Fenty administration is dithering. Fenty's predecessor, Anthony Williams, had promised to have a crime lab up and running by now, Mendelson said.  "That's not my opinion," he said. "The timelines don't lie."

12.18.09 - DC Councilmember to Probe Fire Deputy's Pension Agreement (Washington Times)
"The impression I have is that a special agreement was worked out for somebody high up to cheat the rule regarding retirement," said Mr. Mendelson, chairman of the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

12.18.09 - Council Gives Final Approval to Marriage Bill (DC Agenda)
“Today is the final step in a long march toward equality in the District of Columbia,” said Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who chairs the committee that shepherded the bill through the Council.

12.16.09 - DC Council Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill (Washington Post)
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the committee that oversaw the legislation, said he was unable to reach an agreement with the church that would not lead to discrimination against same-sex couples, but church and city officials said they will continue their talks.

12.15.09 - DC Council Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill (Washington Times)
"Today is the final step in a long march toward equality," said Council member Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat.

12.15.09 - Council Lashes Fenty Over "Questionable" Bonuses (DC Examiner)
Councilman Phil Mendelson, D-at large, said the bonuses were "embarrassing."  "To see somebody who already has a big salary getting a fat bonus on top and then turning around and [firing] employees is a bad picture," he said.

12.15.09 - Final Vote Victory (Metro Weekly)
Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said more than 200 churches have expressed support for the measure.  ''Although some have said that this legislation restricts religious freedom, I would argue just the opposite, that it expands religious freedom.''

12.14.09 - DC Deputy Fire Chief Also Works in Florida (Washington Times)
"It doesn't sound right to me," said Mr. Mendelson, who chairs the Council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. "It sends the wrong message to the others in the rank and file."

12.14.09 - DC Councilmembers Propose No Loitering Zones Near Schools (DC Examiner)
"This legislation is critical not just for public safety but for public education because it will ensure a greater likelihood that students can come to or leave school safely and not have to spend the school day in fear," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson.

12.14.09 - Despite Ban, Fenty Bonuses Keep Rolling (DC Examiner)
"The decision of the council was, with the economy and with reductions in force, the government should not be favoring a few," [Mendelson] told The Examiner. "I do know the council has found on issue after issue that regardless of what the law says, the attorney general finds a convenient interpretation to do otherwise."

12.4.09 - Council Casts "Historic" Vote for Marriage (DC Agenda)
“This bill is the next step, a logical step, in the progress we have made in significantly expanding our domestic partnership law over the last 17 years,” said Phil Mendelson, chair of the Committee on Public Safety & Judiciary, which shepherded the bill through the Council.

12.2.09 - DC Council Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill (Washington Post)
"Marriage is just not about two individuals who want to marry. It requires that . . . every third party recognize that couple being married," Mendelson said. "Exemptions are a very troublesome slope because it undoes what we are trying to do here."

12.2.09 - Head of DC's Ambulance Service Calls It Quits (DC Examiner)
"It says that the EMS function in the department is in disarray," Mendelson said. "It belies all the promises we've heard from the chief and the mayor in turning EMS around."

12.1.09 - Violence at DC Charter School Prompts More Police (Washington Post)
"The proof is in the pudding. They actually have to make the officers available," said Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who oversees the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. He questioned why changes aren't being made immediately.

12.1.09 - DC Gay Marriage Bill Passes First Vote (Washington Times)
Mr. Mendelson, chairman of the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, held more than 18 hours of public testimony on the subject...

12.1.09 - DC Council Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage (DC Examiner)
"There are some in opposition who have said that marriage equality is not a civil right," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, who shepherded the bill through his judiciary committee. "I completely disagree with this. Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man."

 

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November 20, 2009
     - Fire Department Woes
     - Phil Garners More Awards for Service
     - Another Constituent Services Success Story
     - A Listing of the Upcoming Hearings of the Committee on Public Safety & the Judiciary


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