Executive Administration & Labor Public Hearing

C O U N C I L O F T H E D I S T R I C T O F C O LU M BI A C O M M I TT EE O N E X EC U T I V E A DM I NI S T RA T I O N A N D L A B O R N O T I C E O F P U B L IC H E A R I NG 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 COUNCILMEMBER ANITA BONDS, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION AND LABOR ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on the matter of B25-0353 – Middle School Career Exploration Pilot Amendment Act of 2023 B25-0744 – Pay Our Youth a Fair Summer Wage Amendment Act of 2024 B25-0745 – Youth Work Permit and Employment Protection Act of 2024 on Thursday, May 30 , 2024 at 10:30 am in Room 500 and Via Zoom https://dccouncil- us.zoom.us/j/84226579392?pwd= tctFqMWA66xpLC6KgevHxMc3b Ono9W.1 On Thursday, May 30, 2024, At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds will hold a public hearing to discuss B25-0353 – Middle School Career Exploration Pilot Amendment, B25- 0744 – Pay Our Youth a Fair Summer Wage Amendment Act of 2024, and B25- 0745 – Youth Work Permit and Employment Protection Act of 2024. B25-0353, the Middle School Career Exploration Pilot Amendment Act of 2023, establishes a program that would provide occupational skills, academic enrichment, life skills, career exploration, work readiness, and youth development trainings for youth between the ages of 9 and 13 years old. Currently, despite the robust programming opportunities in the District, there is a gap in summer opportunities for middle-school aged youth. This legislation would lay the foundation for assessing the impact of the pilot program that seeks to address this gap and the potential for a year-round expansion. B25-0744, the Pay Our Youth a Fair Summer Wage Amendment Act of 2024, aims to provide fair and equitable compensation for young people’s contributions to the workforce when they participate in the District’s Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. To incentivize participation in this invaluable program, youth ages 14-15 will now make $10.00 per hour and youths aged 16 and above will make the minimum wage. B25-0745, the Youth Work Permit and Employment Protection Act of 2024, modernizes the District’s child labor law by re-writing its provisions in plain, clear language and updating the policies on youth work permits. Alongside other protections for employed minors, the existing law requires special ‘youth work permits’, restricts the hours and occupations for employed minors, sets special rules for minors employed in the performing arts, and establishes penalties for violations. Most importantly, there is currently no existing District agency charged with monitoring, implementing, and enforcing our child labor protections, and this law places responsibility with the Department of Employment Services. Persons who wish to testify are requested to register on the District’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings/ by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Persons may also register by either emailing the Committee at ceal@dccouncil.gov or telephoning the Committee at (202) 724-8198, at least two business days before the hearing and provide their name, address, telephone number, email address, organizational affiliation and title, if any. Oral testimony will be limited to 5 minutes for those testifying on behalf of an organization and 3 minutes for those testifying on behalf of themselves. Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation or require sign language interpretation are encouraged to inform the Committee of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. The Committee will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, however requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. Each witness will receive an individual Zoom invitation for the hearing in a separate e-mail. All witnesses should submit an electronic version of their testimony using the Hearing Management System (https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings) or by emailing it to ceal@dccouncil.gov. Testimony will be publicly accessible upon Committee review. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Emilie Delanois, Deputy Committee Director, (202)-727-8273 or edelanois@dccouncil.gov. If someone is unable to testify at the public hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Written statements should be submitted to the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 116, Washington, D.C. 20004 or by email at ceal@dccouncil.gov. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024. The hearing can be viewed on Cable Channel 13 (DCCTV), at www.dccouncil.gov and www.entertainment.dc.gov, and on the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor’s YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@EALCommittee/streams).