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A BILL 1
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24-441 3
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 5
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To amend, on a temporary basis, the District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of 1999 to 10
establish a temporary Stabilization and Reform Board to govern the District of Columbia 11
Housing Authority (“DCHA”) and to require that the Board and the Executive Director of 12
DCHA take specific actions to reform and revitalize the operations of DCHA. 13
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 15
Act may be cited as the “District of Columbia Housing Authority Stabilization and Reform 16
Temporary Amendment Act of 2023”. 17
Sec. 2. The District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of 1999, effective May 9, 2000 18
(D.C. Law 13-105; D.C. Official Code § 6-201 et seq.), is amended as follows: 19
(a) Section 2 (D.C. Official Code § 6-201) is amended as follows: 20
(1) Paragraph (6) is amended by striking the phrase “Board of Commissioners” 21
and inserting the phrase “Stabilization and Reform Board” in its place. 22
(2) Paragraph (12) is repealed. 23
(3) A new paragraph (17A) is added to read as follows: 24
“(17A) “Dwelling unit” means any room or group of rooms located within a 25
residential or mixed-use building and forming a single unit that is used or intended to be used for 26
living, sleeping, and the preparation and eating of meals.”. 27 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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(b) Section 10(h) (D.C. Official Code § 6-209(h)) is amended as follows: 28
(1) Strike the phrase “or Commissioner of the Authority” and insert the phrase 29
“member of the Board, or member of the former Board of Commissioners” in its place. 30
(2) Strike the phrase “a Commissioner” and insert the phrase “a member of the 31
Board, member of the former Board of Commissioners,” in its place. 32
(c) New sections 11a, 11b, and 11c are added to read as follows: 33
“Sec. 11a. Stabilization and Reform Board. 34
“(a) The Authority shall, from and after the date set forth in subsection (i) of this section, 35
be governed by a Stabilization and Reform Board, which shall consist of the following members: 36
“(1) The following 9 voting members, each of whom shall be a resident of the 37
District: 38
“(A) One member with experience in housing development or operations; 39
“(B) One member with experience in affordable housing development, 40
operations, or finance; 41
“(C) One member with knowledge of federal housing law and regulation; 42
“(D) One member with experience in capital project financing; 43
“(E) One member who is a resident of a property owned, operated, and 44
managed by the Authority; 45
“(F) One member with experience as a voucher holder; 46 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(G) The current Executive Director of the Interagency Council on 47
Homelessness; 48
“(H) The Director of the District’s Office of Budget and Performance 49
Management; and 50
“(I) One member with experience in government procurement; 51
“(2) The Chief Financial Officer, or a designee of the Chief Financial Officer who 52
is an employee of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, who shall serve as a non-voting 53
member; and 54
“(3) The President of the City-Wide Resident Advisory Board, who shall serve as 55
a non-voting member. 56
“(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection and subsections (c) and 57
(f)(1) of this section, each member of the Stabilization and Reform Board shall be appointed by 58
the Mayor, with the advice and consent of the Council pursuant to section 2(e) of the 59
Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-142; D.C. Official Code § 1-60
523.01(e)). 61
“(2) The Director of the District’s Office of Budget and Performance 62
Management and the Chief Financial Officer, or the Chief Financial Officer’s designee, shall 63
serve as members of the Stabilization and Reform Board by virtue of their incumbency in the 64
position of Director of the District’s Office of Budget and Performance Management and Chief 65
Financial Officer or employee of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. 66 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, the Mayor may appoint the following 67
individuals to the Stabilization and Reform Board without the advice and consent of the Council 68
pursuant to section 2(e) of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-69
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01(e)): 70
“(1) Raymond A. Skinner, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(A) 71
of this section and to serve as chairperson of the Stabilization and Reform Board; 72
“(2) James M. Dickerson, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(B) 73
of this section; 74
“(3) Christopher Murphy, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(C) 75
of this section; 76
“(4) Melissa Lee, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(D) of this 77
section; 78
“(5) Denise Blackson, to the fill the Board sear described in subsection (a)(1)(E) 79
of this section; 80
“(6) Ronnie Harris, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(F) of this 81
section; 82
“(7) Theresa Silla, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(G) of this 83
section; and 84
“(8) Katrina D. Jones, to fill the Board seat described in subsection (a)(1)(I) of 85
this section. 86 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(d) The members of the Stabilization and Reform Board referred to in subsection 87
(a)(1)(A) through (I) of this section shall each serve for one term of 2 years or until the Board 88
sunsets; provided, that each such member may continue to serve until a successor board assumes 89
the responsibilities of the Stabilization and Reform Board; provided further, that in the event of a 90
vacancy in the seat of such a member of the Board, the Mayor may appoint a member, pursuant 91
to subsection (b)(1) of this section, to serve the remainder of the unexpired term or until a 92
successor board assumes the responsibilities of the Stabilization and Reform Board. 93
“(e) Upon a vacancy in the position chairperson of the Stabilization and Reform Board, 94
the Mayor shall designate a chairperson from among the members of the Stabilization and 95
Reform Board referred to in subsection (a)(1)(A) through (I) of this section. 96
“(f)(1) Upon a vacancy of any seat of the Stabilization and Reform Board, the Mayor 97
shall nominate a replacement who meets the qualifications of the vacant seat pursuant to 98
subsection (a)(1) of this section; provided, that this shall not apply to the seat established by 99
subsection (a)(1)(A) of this section. If the seat established by subsection (a)(1)(A) of this section 100
becomes vacant, the Council shall appoint a successor. 101
“(2) A Mayoral nomination shall be submitted to the Council pursuant to 102
subsection (b)(1) of this section. 103
“(g)(1) The Stabilization and Reform Board shall meet at least 10 times per year. All 104
meetings of the Stabilization and Reform Board shall be open to the public, except as may 105 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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otherwise be authorized by the Open Meetings Act, effective March 31, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-350; 106
D.C. Official Code § 2-571 et seq.). 107
“(2) All regular meetings of the Board must be publicized through a notice, 108
published in the District of Columbia Register one week prior to the meeting that contains the 109
date, time, and location of the meeting. 110
“(3) Each regular meeting shall provide for a period of public comments, which 111
shall not be limited in time, except that the time allowed for each individual speaker may be 112
reasonably limited. 113
“(h) For the purposes of taking any official action, a quorum of the Stabilization and 114
Reform Board shall consist of 5 members 115
“(i) The Stabilization and Reform Board established by this section shall assume 116
authority from the Board of Commissioners established by section 12, and the Board of 117
Commissioners shall be dissolved, upon the swearing in of at least 5 members of the 118
Stabilization and Reform Board. 119
“(j) The Authority shall provide to the Stabilization and Reform Board at least 2 full-time 120
employees who are qualified to provide legal and policy research as requested by members of the 121
Board. Except as otherwise provided by law, a full-time employee provided to the Board 122
pursuant to this subsection shall not share with employees of the Authority information about 123
research performed for a Board member, unless the member of the Board authorizes sharing of 124
information. 125 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“Sec. 11b. Reform activities. 126
“(a) Within 15 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Executive Director shall, 127
after submission to the Stabilization and Reform Board and the City-Wide Resident Advisory 128
Board, submit a report to the Mayor and the Council that describes the progress of the Authority 129
in: 130
“(1) Addressing and remediating the issues identified by the U.S. Department of 131
Housing and Urban Development in its 2022 assessment of the Authority (the “HUD DC001 132
Assessment”); 133
“(2) Developing and implementing a plan to expedite the leasing of dwelling units 134
owned, operated, or managed by the Authority; 135
“(3) Identifying individual dwelling units within Housing Properties of the 136
Authority that are in a substandard condition and improving the condition of such units to a state 137
of good repair; 138
“(4) Developing and implementing a plan for the maintenance, in an ongoing state 139
of good repair, of Housing Properties of the Authority and individual dwellings units within 140
those Housing Properties; 141
“(5) Improving the management of the wait list for dwelling units within Housing 142
Properties of the Authority; 143
“(6)(A) Reviewing and developing recommendations for improvements of the 144
Authority’s: 145 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(i) Capital and operating budgets; 146
“(ii) Capital and operating expenditures; 147
“(iii) Accounting and fiscal management systems, controls and 148
procedures; and 149
“(iv) Contracting and procurement systems, controls, and 150
procedures. 151
“(B) Requirements of this paragraph are subject to review by the Chief 152
Financial Officer measured against industry and government standards and best practices; and 153
“(7) Meeting the training requirements established by sections 12(h) and 14(d). 154
“(b) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, the Executive 155
Director shall submit to the Council any updated policies, procedures, and reports provided to the 156
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as outlined in the Authority’s 157
“Response to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s March 2022 On-Site 158
Assessment Report,” published on November 29, 2022. Such policies, procedures and reports 159
shall be submitted no later than 48 hours after submission to the United States Department of 160
Housing and Urban Development. 161
“(c) The Stabilization and Reform Board shall: 162
“(1) Review the progress of the Authority in addressing the findings and 163
recommendations in the HUD DC001 Assessment each month; 164 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(2) Schedule and complete at least 4 listening sessions, 1 in each quadrant, to 165
hear from public housing residents about concerns and experiences by May 2023; 166
“(3) At least once a quarter, invite the City-Wide Resident Advisory Board to 167
report to the Board on any topics of interest or concerns, and respond to the concerns of the City-168
Wide Resident Advisory Board in writing, no later than 45 days following the quarterly meeting; 169
and 170
“(4) Provide recommendations to the Mayor and the Council by July 1, 2024, for 171
the structure of a successor Board of Directors to govern the Authority on an ongoing basis. 172
“(d) If requested by the Council, a quorum of members of the Stabilization and Reform 173
Board shall attend a Council oversight hearing on the Authority and provide testimony. 174
“(e) A quorum of members of the Stabilization and Reform Board shall be present at each 175
listening session held pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of this section. 176
“Sec. 11c. City-Wide Resident Advisory Board. 177
“(a) The Authority shall establish and implement a comprehensive training program for 178
members of the City-Wide Resident Advisory Board with the goal of enabling tenant members to 179
participate fully in the oversight of the housing authority’s operation and capital planning. The 180
Authority shall develop the training program in consultation with public housing residents and 181
public housing industry professional organizations. 182
“(b)(1) The City-Wide Resident Advisory Board shall be provided access to trainings 183
referenced in section 12(h)(1) and (2). 184 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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“(2) Additionally, the Authority shall provide training on relevant federal and 185
District laws, leadership development, communication, and negotiations. 186
“(c) The Authority shall provide a copy of resolutions on the agenda for consideration by 187
the Stabilization and Reform Board to the City-Wide Resident Advisory Board at least 24 hours 188
prior to the scheduled date and time of the Stabilization and Reform Board meeting at which the 189
resolution will be considered. 190
“(d) The Authority shall seek and consider the input of the City-Wide Resident Advisory 191
Board when a policy or program change affects residents.”. 192
(d) Section 12 (D.C. Official Code § 6-211) is amended as follows: 193
(1) The section heading is amended to read as follows: 194
“Sec. 12. Additional Board provisions.”. 195
(2) Subsections (a), (b), (c), (e), (f), (g), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), (q), 196
(v)(3), and (w) are repealed. 197
(3) Subsection (r) is amended by striking the phrase “No Commissioner” and 198
inserting the phrase “No member of the Board” in its place. 199
(4) Subsection (s) is amended by striking the phrase “Commissioners shall” and 200
inserting the phrase “Each member of the Board referred to in section 11a(a)(1)(A) through (I) 201
shall” in its place. 202
(5) Subsection (u) is amended by striking the phrase “any Commissioner” and 203
inserting the phrase “any member of the Board” in its place. 204 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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(e) Section 14 (D.C. Official Code § 6-213) is amended as follows: 205
(1) Subsection (c) is amended by striking the phrase “direction and supervision” 206
and inserting the word “oversight” in its place. 207
(2) A new subsection (e) is added to read as follows: 208
“(e) As part of the process of selecting an Executive Director, the Board shall seek and 209
consider the input of public housing residents, voucher holders, and the resident advisory board 210
for the Authority.”. 211
(f) Section 21 (D.C. Official Code § 6-220) is amended as follows: 212
(1) The section heading is amended by striking the phrase “Board of 213
Commissioners” and inserting the word “Board” in its place. 214
(2) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the phrase “each Commissioner” and 215
inserting the phrase “each member of the Board” in its place. 216
(3) Subsection (b) is amended as follows: 217
(A) Strike the phrase “as a Commissioner” and insert the phrase “as a 218
member of the Board or a member of the former Board of Commissioners” in its place. 219
(B) Strike the phrase “former Commissioner” and insert the phrase 220
“former member of the Board or former member of the former Board of Commissioners” in its 221
place. 222
(C) Strike the phrase “as Commissioner” and insert the phrase “as a 223
member of the Board or a member of the former Board of Commissioners” in its place. 224 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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(D) Strike the phrase “any former Commissioner” and insert the phrase 225
“any former member of the Board or former member of the former Board of Commissioners” in 226
its place. 227
(4) Subsection (c) is amended by striking the phrase “any Commissioner” and 228
inserting the phrase “any member of the Board” in its place. 229
(g) Section 26g(b)(2)(C) (D.C. Official Code § 6-232(b)(2)(C)) is amended by striking 230
the phrase “resident commissioner and to vote for candidates for resident commissioner to serve 231
on the Board, as provided in section 12” and inserting the phrase “resident commissioner” in its 232
place. 233
Sec. 3. Conforming amendment. 234
Section 2(e) of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-142; 235
D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01(e)), is amended by adding a new paragraph (27A) to read as 236
follows: 237
“(27A) The Stabilization and Reform Board of the District of Columbia Housing 238
Authority, established by section 11a of the District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of 1999, 239
passed on 2nd reading on January 3, 2023 (Enrolled version of Bill 24-1145);”. 240
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 241
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the fiscal impact 242
statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved 243
October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 244 ENGROSSED ORIGINAL
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Sec. 5. Effective date. 245
(a) This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by 246
the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review 247
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 248
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 249
Columbia Register. 250
(b) This act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect. 251