Transportation & the Environment & Public Works & Operations Joint Hearing

Council of the District of Columbia COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & THE ENVIRONMENT NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004 COUNCILMEMBER CHARLES ALLEN, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & THE ENVIRONMENT AND COUNCILMEMBER BRIANNE K. NADEAU, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND OPERATIONS ANNOUNCE A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING ON B25-421, THE “LICENSE SUSPENSION REFORM AMENDMENT ACT OF 2023” B25-422, THE “AUTOMATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT EFFECTIVENESS AMENDMENT ACT OF 2023” B25-425, THE “STRENGTHENING TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION, AND RESPONSIBILITY (“STEER”) AMENDMENT ACT OF 2023” AND B25-435, THE “FRAUDULENT VEHICLE TAG ENFORCEMENT AMENDMENT ACT OF 2023” Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Virtual Hearing via Zoom To Watch Live: https://dccouncil.us/council-videos/ http://video.oct.dc.gov/DCC/jw.html https://www.facebook.com/CMcharlesallen/ On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Councilmember Charles Allen, Chairperson of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, and Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Works and Operations, will convene a joint public hearing to consider B25-421, the “License Suspension Reform Amendment Act of 2023,” B25-422, the “Automated 1 Traffic Enforcement Effectiveness Amendment Act of 2023,” B25-425, the “Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (“STEER”) Amendment Act of 2023,” and B25-435, the “Fraudulent Vehicle Tag Enforcement Amendment Act of 2023.” The hearing will be conducted virtually via the Zoom platform from 10:30 a.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. This hearing will be limited to invited government witnesses. The stated purpose of B25-421 is to improve traffic safety by expanding the situations in which a driver’s license and/or vehicle registration would be suspended. Specifically, the bill would require suspension of a license and registration of any vehicle owned by someone who is charged with a number of specific offenses, including negligent homicide caused by a vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash that caused an injury, and driving while impaired. The stated purpose of B25-422 is to improve traffic safety by enhancing the District’s automated traffic enforcement (“ATE”) system. The bill allows points to be assessed against a driver’s record for moving violations captured by the automated traffic enforcement (“ATE”) system. The bill codifies within the District Code of Municipal Regulations an existing Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) program allowing the DMV director to waive assessed points based on completion of a traffic safety course. Additionally, the bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that the owner of a vehicle was operating it at the time a moving violation was detected by the ATE system, and allows the DMV to waive points—based on the seriousness of the violation and the driver’s record—no more than one time per year. To aid in the identification of motor vehicle operators, the bill requires that one-third of the ATE cameras required to be installed by law capture footage of the front of the vehicle by 2025. However, the bill allows for a violation deemed admitted to be vacated upon a showing that the owner of the vehicle was not operating it at the time the violation was detected. The bill also mandates that DDOT publish on its website unedited copies of its ATE assessment worksheets, which DDOT uses to determine the most appropriate placements for ATE cameras. The bill also requires that the DMV send to a drivers’ insurance company reports containing the records of any driver who acquires five moving. Finally, the bill requires that any parked vehicle with five or more unpaid moving violations, or any parked vehicle displaying counterfeit, stolen, or otherwise fraudulent identification tags, be towed or immobilized. The stated purpose of B25-425 is to improve traffic safety by strengthening enforcement mechanisms against dangerous drivers. The bill establishes an additional regime for suspending driving privileges and immobilizing motor vehicles based on traffic tickets accumulated over any consecutive six months, regardless of whether the fine for the ticket is paid or unpaid. The bill also empowers the Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) to bring civil suits against offending drivers or their motor vehicles in order to obtain a judgement that can be enforced in other jurisdictions. Furthermore, the bill requires that the DMV create a safe driving course that drivers must complete prior to the reinstatement of their driving privileges or the release of their vehicle from immobilization, and it allows the DMV to also waive any outstanding fines and fees based on participation in the course at a rate of $100 per hour of participation. Finally, the bill strengthens the District’s response to DUI offenses by requiring that a judge order the suspension of a defendant’s driving privileges while any charge of negligent vehicular homicide is pending, or upon conviction of three DUI offenses within 5 years. Finally, to address information-sharing gaps, the bill requires that the DMV send a monthly report to the Court and OAG listing the licenses they have suspended pursuant to a court order, and requires that the DMV send the Committee on 2 Transportation and Environment a report every 6 months listing the number of suspensions the DMV has made. The stated purpose of B25-435 is to improve traffic safety by addressing the proliferation of long- expired temporary tags and other counterfeit vehicle tags. The legislation would strengthen several sections of the D.C. Code related to vehicle identification tags, with a focus on prohibiting the installation on, or operation of, a vehicle with fraudulent, counterfeit, stolen, or intentionally obscured tags. This would include requiring the Mayor to create a maintain a directory of valid temporary and permanent vehicle tags issued by U.S. states and territories and ensuring relevant District employees are trained to identify these tags. The bill would establish certain offenses to be immediately tow-eligible, even if there are not two unpaid violations. The bill would also classify the creation and distribution of falsified vehicle tags as forgery under District law. While the hearing will be limited to government witnesses, members of the public are invited to submit written statements that will be made part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted through the Council’s Hearing Management System https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings. The record will close at the end of the business day on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 3