FYI
From: Council of the District of Columbia <council@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2021 4:29 PM
Subject: Council Extends COVID-Era Protections Including Against Eviction,
Greatly Expands Consumer Debt Collection Safeguards
Here's the latest news & dates from the Council of the District of Columbia
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Council News & Dates
Council Extends COVID-Era Protections Including Against Eviction, Greatly
Expands Consumer Debt Collection Safeguards
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How We Got Here
Since the dawn of the COVID pandemic, the declaration of public health
emergencies has been a two-part process. On the legislative side, the Council
has provided the Mayor with the date-limited authority to declare an emergency,
and has set the terms for legal protections during the emergency. And on the
executive side, the Mayor actually declares the emergency, and sets the
emergency's expiration date (as well as issuing Mayor's Orders on health issues
like business restrictions and mask mandates).
Prior to the Council's most recent Legislative Meeting, the Mayor made it known
that even if the Council extended her authority to continue the public health
emergency, she would not act on that authority, and therefore the longstanding
public health emergency would expire on July 25. Distinct from the public
health emergency, a parallel public emergency (which, for example, allows the
District to continue to receive ongoing Federal Emergency Management Agency
funding to provide shelter for unhoused individuals in hotels rather in
shelters) will be extended by the Mayor.
Given that all the Council-mandated COVID protections were tied to the end (or
a set number of days beyond the end) of the public health emergency, the
Council was put in the position to determine which of these protections should
continue on post-emergency, and if so, for how long. When prior extensions of
the public health emergency were issued, there was a parallel,
one-size-fits-all extension of all the protections under that same umbrella.
But post-emergency, each of the prior protections has its own specificities,
and any extension must take these into account.
No COVID-era protection has higher stakes than the eviction moratorium. COVID
or no COVID, if unable to pay their rent, tenants risk the loss of the roof
over their heads. Landlords not receiving rent payments from tenants risk
foreclosure and the loss of their property. In the wake of COVID, thanks to
hundreds of millions of federal dollars, District renters and landlords could
see their financial woes alleviated. Yet in a way, the stakes are heightened
even further—the federal funding pool is date-limited and incentive-based. We
literally must use it or we will lose it.
The Council was faced with a challenging balancing act—how to firmly yet
compassionately encourage tenants and landlords to take advantage of the
available federal funds (via the District's STAY DC program) while
acknowledging that the technology, pace, efficiency, and publicity of that
program have profoundly under-performed up until this point.
When the Council first attempted to tackle sunsetting the eviction moratorium a
few weeks back, the urgency was there but the readiness of STAY DC, and the
timing, did not justify moving forward. Since that time, a working group has
been meeting to square the circle and ensure that the moratorium would come to
an end, that STAY DC would be a credible alternative, and that those most in
need would have the most time, help, and flexibility to make STAY DC work.
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Ask not what vaccination can do for you
Ask what you can do for vaccination
Already vaxxed? Sign up for these organized opportunities to convince others to
get it: text & phone banks, training on vaccine persuasion
Let’s help POTUS meet his July 4 goal!
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PS: Plus, DC is now offering you a $51 incentive for every person you convince
to get vaccinated! See www.taketheshotdc.com<http://www.taketheshotdc.com> for
more details.
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Are you a tenant who experienced COVID hardship and is behind on rent?
Or a landlord with tenants who did/are?
Then the STAY DC rent payment program is for you!
Back rent owed since April 1, 2020, plus three months of future rent, are
covered.
Don't delay! Apply now!
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We are preparing to enter the final days of this year's budget process. See the
key remaining dates below.
Key Dates:
July 20
First Council vote on Local Budget Act and Budget Support Act
August 3
Second Council vote on Local Budget Act, votes on Federal Portion and Local
Budget Emergency Adjustment Act
August 10
Second Council vote on Budget Support Act
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