Judiciary & Public Safety Public Hearing

Council of the District of Columbia COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY & PUBLIC SAFETY Notice OF Public Hearing 1 3 5 0 P e n n s y l v a n i a A v e n u e , N . W. , W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . 2 0 0 0 4 Councilmember Charles Allen, Chairperson Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety Announces a Public Hearing on B23-0044, THE "Alimony Justice for Injured Spouses Amendment Act OF 2019" A N D B23-0319, THE "Vote by Mail Amendment Act of 2019" Wednesday, October 30, 2019,10:00 a.m. Room 123, John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004 On Wednesday^ October 30,2019, Councilmember Charles Allen, Chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, will convene a public hearing to discuss Bill 23-0044, the "Alimony Justice for Injured Spouses Amendment Act of 2019", and Bill 23-0319, the "Vote by Mail Amendment Act of 2019". The hearing will take place in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., at 10:00 a.m. The stated purpose of B23-0044 is to amend Chapter 9 of Title 16 of the District of Columbia Official Code to allow for an injured spouse to be granted a divorce within three months upon the finding of intrafamily violence; to prohibit an award of alimony, any interest in the injured spouse's pension and retirement benefits, or attorney's fees to a spouse when there has been a judicial finding they have committed an intrafamily offense; and to void any claim of stemming from an affidavit of support of the injuring spouse against the injured spouse if entered into before a finding of intrafamily violence. The stated purpose of B23-0319 is to amend the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955 to require that the Board of Elections mail all registered qualified electors a ballot for primary, general, and special elections, recalls, initiatives, and referenda, to allow registered qualified electors to mail in their ballots for a three-week window before the selected election day, and to require all ballots be in the possession of the Board of Elections by the selected date of the election. 1 The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing should contact the Committee via email at iudiciarv@dccouncil.us and provide their name, telephone number, organizational affiliation, and title (if any), by close of business Friday, October 25. Representatives of organizations will be allowed a maximum of five minutes for oral testimony, and individuals will be allowed a maximum of three minutes. Witnesses should bring twenty copies of their written testimony and, if possible, also submit a copy of their testimony electronically in advance to iudiciarv@,dccouncil.us. 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 to the Committee at iudiciary@dccouncil.us. The record will close at the end of the business day on Tuesday, Noyeraber 12. 2