Human Services Public Hearing

Council of the District of Columbia COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004 COUNCILMEMBER BRIANNE K. NADEAU, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING ON B24-0462, THE “GRANDPARENT AND CLOSE RELATIVE CAREGIVERS PROGRAM AMENDMENT ACT OF 2021” AND PR24-0396, THE “CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES AGENCY ROBERT MATTHEWS CONFIRMATION RESOLUTION OF 2021” Thursday, December 9, 2021, 10 a.m. Virtual Public Hearing via Zoom Streamed live at https://www.brianneknadeau.com/committee On Thursday, December 9, 2021, Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services, will convene a public hearing to consider Bill 24-0462, the “Grandparent and Close Relative Caregivers Program Amendment Act of 2021,” and Proposed Resolution 24-0396, the “Child and Family Services Agency Robert Matthews Confirmation Resolution of 2021.” The hearing will be held virtually via the Zoom platform beginning at 10:00 a.m. The stated purpose of Bill 24-0462, the “Grandparent and Close Relative Caregivers Program Amendment Act of 2021,” is to amend eligibility requirements for the Grandparent Caregivers Program and the Close Relative Caregivers Program, both of which are administered by the Child and Family Services Agency. The programs are designed to provide subsidies to grandparents and other close relatives who are caring for a child. Currently, both programs require that caregivers demonstrate that they have been a child’s primary caregiver for the past six months and that the child has resided with them for the past six months. This legislation, if enacted, would remove these requirements. It would also allow adult parents who have a medically verifiable disability to reside with their child’s caregiver without disqualifying the caregiver from receiving a subsidy. These changes would allow caregivers who would not otherwise be eligible for a subsidy, or who would have to wait six months before becoming eligible, to receive financial support so that a child does not have to enter foster care. 1 Proposed Resolution 24-0396, the “Child and Family Services Agency Robert Matthews Confirmation Resolution of 2021, would confirm the appointment of Acting Director Robert Matthews as Director of the Child and Family Services Agency. The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing should complete the witness form at https://www.brianneknadeau.com/testify or call the Committee on Human Services at 202-724-8170 by the close of business on Friday, December 3, 2021. Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation, or who anticipate requiring sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Human Services Committee office of the need as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, but requests received less than five (5) business days in advance may not be fulfilled, and alternatives may be offered. Representatives of organization will be allowed a maximum of five minutes for oral testimony, and individuals (and any subsequent representatives of the same organizations) will be allowed a maximum of three minutes. Witnesses are encouraged to submit a copy of their testimony electronically to humanservices@dccouncil.us in advance of the hearing. For witnesses who are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements will be made part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to the Committee at humanservices@dccouncil.us or to Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 5, Washington, D.C. 20004. Additionally, voicemail testimony can be provided for the record by calling the Committee’s unique voicemail number at 202-350-1927. At the beginning of the message, please state and spell your name, provide the name of the organization you are representing and title (if any), the topic of your testimony, and then begin your testimony. The record will close for all forms of testimony at the end of the business day on Thursday, December 23, 2021. 2