March 4, 2025
Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Howard:
Today, I am introducing the “Judith Heumann Memorial Bridge Designation Act of 2025”, along
with Councilmembers Brianne K. Nadeau, Charles Allen, Anita Bonds, and Robert C. White, Jr.
Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation. This legislation would designate the
Connecticut Avenue Bridge over the Klingle Valley, located on Connecticut Avenue NW between
Devonshire Place NW and Macomb Street NW, as the Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge
Judith E. Heumann was a pioneer of the disability rights movement, who passed away on March
4, 2023. A polio survivor from the age of two, Heumann lost the ability to walk and subsequently
used a chair for mobility. Among her many achievements, Heumann led the historic 1977 504 Sit-
in in San Francisco; helped develop the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act,
and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; served in two presidential
administrations; and founded multiple non-profits, including the seminal World Institute on
Disability. She also served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development from
2002 to 2006, and in 2007, Heumann served as the first director for the DC Department on
Disability Services.
She lived for three decades with her husband in the Kennedy-Warren apartment building in
Cleveland Park, using the Connecticut Avenue Bridge over the Klingle Valley almost daily to
connect with her many friends, patronize the shops and restaurants in her community, attend her
house of worship, and access public transportation. The community, including residents of the
Kennedy-Warren, initiated the call to rename the bridge the “Judith E. Heumann Bridge”, and
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C passed a resolution
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in support of the renaming.
Judith E. Heumann, who shaped how people with disabilities connect with their communities in
profound ways, is an apt namesake for the bridge that helped connect her to her community.
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ANC3C Resolution 2023-005 Regarding Naming the Connecticut Avenue Bridge over Klingle Valley in Memory and Honor of Judith (Judy) Heumann:
https://anc3c.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ANC3C-Resolution-2023-005-Regarding-Naming-the-Connecticut-Avenue-Bridge-over-Klingle-Valley-in-Memory-
and-Honor-of-Judith-Judy-Heumann.pdf 2
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Chief of Staff, Leigh
Catherine Miles, at lcmiles@dccouncil.gov.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Matthew Frumin, Ward 3
Chairperson, Committee on Human Services
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Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Matthew Frumin 4
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Councilmember Anita Bonds Councilmember Charles Allen 8
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Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 12
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A BILL 16
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 21
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To designate the bridge on Connecticut Avenue NW, located between Devonshire Place NW and 26
Macomb Street NW, as the Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge. 27
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 29
act may be cited as the “Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge Designation Act of 2025”. 30
Sec. 2. Pursuant to sections 401 and 422 of the Street and Alley Closing and Acquisition 31
Procedures Act of 1982, effective March 10, 1983 (D.C. Law 4-201; D.C. Official Code §§ 9-32
204.01 and 9-204.22), the Council designates the bridge on Connecticut Avenue NW, located 33
between Devonshire Place NW and Macomb Street NW, as depicted on the plat in the committee 34
report, as the “Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge”. 35
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 36
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The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 37
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 38
approved October 16, 2006 (12 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 39
Sec. 4. Effective date. 40
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 41
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 42
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 43
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Code § 1-206(c)(1)). 44