Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 REVISED CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 24-126, Seasonal Pricing Price Gouging Amendment Act of 2021 Bill 24-357, Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2021 on Monday, November 29, 2021, 12:00 p.m. Live via Zoom Video Conference Broadcast DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.us) Council Channel 13 (Cable Television Providers) Office of Cable Television Website (entertainment.dc.gov) Chairman’s Website (www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing before the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-126, the “Seasonal Pricing Price Gouging Amendment Act of 2021” and Bill 24- 357, the “Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2021.” The hearing will be held on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. via Zoom videoconference. This notice has been revised to reflect the fact that the correct date is November 29, 2021. The stated purpose of Bill 24-126 is to modify current consumer protections regarding price gouging in order to allow for the seasonal pricing of vehicle rentals, and to make a public health emergency a triggering event for the prohibition against price gouging of any kind. The stated purpose of Bill 24-357 is to ensure that all consumer debt falls under the consumer protection law; to prohibit debt collectors from engaging in deceptive behavior and harassment, including threatening to disclose consumer debt information, and limiting the number of phone calls a debt collector can make to a consumer in any given week; to implement specific requirements for a debt collector when initiating a cause of action against a consumer for consumer debt; to allow for the awarding of damages and other fees to a consumer when a debt collector violates the law; to prohibit the imprisonment or jailing of any consumer for failure to pay consumer debt; and to codify consumer protections related to debt collection during a public health emergency declared by the Mayor. Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 26, 2021. Testimony is limited to four minutes. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please contact Destiny Riley, Committee Assistant, at (202) 724-8196.  The roundtable will be conducted virtually on the Internet utilizing Zoom video conference technology. Because of this, written or transcribed testimony from the public is highly encouraged and will be taken by email or voicemail. Testimony may be submitted in writing to cow@dccouncil.us or may be left by voicemail (up to 3 minutes – which will be transcribed – by calling (202) 430-6948). Testimony received by close of business on November 26, 2021 will be posted publicly to http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/testimony prior to the roundtable. If you are unable to testify at the roundtable, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Written statements should be submitted to cow@dccouncil.us. The record will close at 5:00pm on December 14, 2021.