Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 COUNCILMEMBER ANITA BONDS, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING OF THE COMMITTEE on Thursday, September 24, 2020, 12 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Virtual Hearing via Zoom To Watch Live: https://dccouncil.us/council-videos/ on Bill 23-0237, the “Rent Concession Amendment Act of 2019” Bill 23-0530, the “Rent Stabilization Affordability Qualification Amendment Act of 2020” Bill 23-0877, the “Substantial Rehabilitation Petition Reform Amendment Act of 2020” Bill 23-0879, the “Capital Improvement Petition Reform Amendment Act of 2020” Bill 23-0878, the “Voluntary Agreement Moratorium Agreement Act of 2020” On Thursday, September 24, 2020, Councilmember Anita Bonds, Chairperson of the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, will hold a virtual public hearing on Bill 23-0237, Bill 23-0530, Bill 23-0877, Bill 23-0879, and Bill 23-0878. The hearing will take place via Zoom. The purpose of Bill 23-0237, the “Rent Concession Amendment Act of 2019” is to clarify the applicability of abolishment of rent ceilings. The bill also clarifies when a rent increase may be implemented by a housing provider and defines and regulates discounted rents. Finally, the bill requires rental advertisements to include the proposed rent charged as well as surcharges. The purpose of Bill 23-0530, the “Rent Stabilization Affordability Qualification Amendment Act of 2020” is to set income eligibility standards for renting a rent stabilized apartment. Under this bill, a unit covered under the Rent Stabilization Program may only be rented to a tenant with a monthly adjusted gross income that is less than 5 times the monthly rent charged for the unit. The purpose of Bill 23-0877, the Substantial Rehabilitation Petition Reform Amendment Act of 2020” is to base the period of amortization (and therefore the amount of increase of a tenant’s rent) of a capital improvement on the IRS rules for residential rental property. This change will more fairly spread out the cost of the capital improvement over more years, costing tenants less. It will also more fairly “charge” the cost to all tenants who will benefit from the capital improvement over the years. The purpose of Bill 23-0879, the “Capital Improvement Petition Reform Amendment Act of 2020” is to change the period of amortization (and therefore the amount of increase of a tenant’s rent) of a capital improvement to that of the IRS rules for residential rental property. This replaces the current rule of 96 or 64-month amortization period. The purpose of Bill 23-0878, the “Voluntary Agreement Moratorium Agreement Act of 2020” is to enact a 2-year moratorium on voluntary agreements. The problem with VAs is that current tenants will often cut a deal with the housing provider to not increase their rent, but instead, increase the rent of future tenants. Any increasing of future rents erodes affordability across the District, causing rents to have been increased by over 100% for many units in areas all over the city. Persons who wish to testify are requested to either email the Committee at housing@dccouncil.us or telephone the Committee at (202) 724-8198, at least two days before the hearing and provide their name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title. Each witness will receive an individual Zoom invitation for the hearing in a separate e-mail. Witnesses are encouraged to submit an electronic version of their testimony to housing@dccouncil.us. Oral testimony will be limited to 3 minutes. All Councilmembers will receive an individual Zoom invitation for the hearing in a separate email. If a Councilmember does not have a separate link for each, please contact Nate Bell, nbell@dccouncil.us. The hearing can also be viewed at http://www.dccouncil.us and http://entertainment.dc.gov. Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation or require sign language interpretation are requested 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 and alternatives may be offered. 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 Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite G6, Washington, D.C. 20004 or by email at housing@dccouncil.us. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2020.