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.


2.23.10 - Mendelson Marks-up Anti-Graffiti Legislation
On Tuesday, February 23, 2010, the Committee approved Bill 18-69, the “Anti-Graffiti Act of 2010”.  Bill 18-69 establishes a new process for graffiti abatement by property owners and the Mayor.  The bill will allow the government to abate graffiti at no charge to the property owner or provide free abatement materials to the property owner.  It authorizes the government to issue violation notices to property owners who agree to abate the graffiti and fail to do so by a certain date.  Bill 18-69 will give the Office of Administrative Hearings jurisdiction to adjudicate enforcement of the violation.  Additionally, Bill 18-69 establishes a Graffiti Abatement fund -- fines related to graffiti violations will be deposited into the fund and used for abatement purposes and graffiti prevention programs.

 

2.12.10 - Mendelson Holds Hearing on Drug Related Offenses
On Friday, February 12, 2010, Councilmember Mendelson will held a hearing on legislation that would increase the penalty for PCP possession in the District.  This hearing was a continuation of a hearing that was commenced on February 8th, but was recessed due to inclement weather.  Bill 18-556, the Liquid PCP Possession Amendment Act of 2009, would create a felony penalty for the possession of liquid phencyclidine (PCP). 

 

2.4.10 - Mendelson Holds Hearing on Residential Tranquility Act
On February 4, 2010, Councilmember Mendelson held 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 was considered at the February 4th hearing.  Click here to view the draft committee print.   

 

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

2.28.10 - Delays Hamper City's Striving to Cut Costs, Raise Revenue (DC Examiner)
"There were promised initiatives that were going to save millions of dollars, and halfway through the fiscal year they haven't done squat," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, chairman of the public safety committee.

2.26.10 - Problems With DC's Breath Alcohol Machines Throw DWI Cases Into Chaos (DC Examiner)
"We need machines that work in order to get drunk drivers behind bars," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson. "The city needs to fix this quickly -- if not sooner."

2.24.10 - DC Panel Approves Fenty Nominee for Homeland Security Chief (Washington Post)
Some council members had initial concerns, but Mendelson, who is known as a Fenty critic, said they were swayed by Williams's enthusiasm and the overwhelming support she drew at her confirmation hearing.

2.21.10 - Medical Marijuana in DC: The Council Gets it Right (Washington Post - Opinion)
With the ban lifted, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), along with council members David A. Catania (I-At Large) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), has introduced legislation to implement Initiative 59. It's a sound proposal that tracks the design and intent of the original initiative...

2.19.10 - Metro Official Says Fenty Should Have Treated Snowstorms as a Disaster (Washington Post)
"How much of this was the District government saying, 'We don't need help. We can do it ourselves'?" asked Mendelson, who said he thinks the city should have treated the storms as it would a hurricane.

2.19.10 - Fenty Offers Cuts, Strategies to Bridge $200M Gap (DC Examiner)
"This just seems like gimmicks to me," said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson. "This isn't dealing with the problem. Nobody's home. Nobody's taking responsibility for adhering to the budget."

2.19.10 - Snow Response Garners A Wintry Mix of Opinions (Voice of the Hill)
Council member Phil Mendelson also found the condition of a number of streets unacceptable. "Some people on neighborhood streets waited almost a week for a snowplow," he said Monday. "And we lost many of the curb lanes to snow, which continues to be the case on many streets..."

2.12.10 - Prosecutors Call for Stronger PCP Penalties (DC Examiner)
Prosecutors are backing DC Councilman Phil Mendelson's bid to increase possession of liquid PCP to a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

2.9.10 - Fenty Orders 100M Cut From DC Budget (DC Examiner)
Fenty should be held accountable for failing to rein in costs, like fire department overtime, and for loading his fiscal 2010 budget submission with unsuccessful savings initiatives, at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson said Monday.

2.3.10 - Council Clears Way to Allow Votes to Elect DC's Top Lawyer (Washington Post)
District voters, instead of the mayor, would be allowed to pick the city's top lawyer, under legislation approved yesterday by the D.C. Council.  The election would not take place until 2014 and would not apply to Nickles, according to council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), the bill's sponsor.

1.28.10 - DC Mayor Fenty's Associates Bypassed Rules in Donating Rescue Vehicles (Washington Post)
A friend and a staffer of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's skirted procurement rules when they orchestrated the delivery of a surplus city firetruck and ambulance to the Dominican Republic last year...

1.28.10 - Council: No Laws Broken in Firetruck Gift, But Policies Ignored (DC Examiner)
The investigation could have been avoided had the council gotten answers from the executive immediately, said Judiciary Committee Chairman Phil Mendelson. But the council’s probe, he said, was repeatedly “frustrated” by the attorney general.

1.26.10 - DC Councilmember Questions 911 Response to Armed Robbery (Washington Post)
The tardy arrival of police probably helped the robbers get away, Mendelson said. "The desired response is for the police to get there immediately when there is a 911 call for a robbery in progress. That did not happen," he said.

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.

 

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February 24, 2010
     - The Sosua Fire Truck
     - Another Constituent Services Success Story
     - A Listing of the Upcoming Hearings of the Committee on Public Safety & the Judiciary

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