Councilmember Allen is the Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. He also serves as a member of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, the Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs, and the Committee of the Whole.
A list of legislation co-introduced by Councilmember Allen is available through LIMS here. Visit the Council calendar for information about upcoming hearings and roundtables.
Questions on how laws are made in the District? Helpful link on DC's lawmaking process. On any given piece of legislation, a councilmember may sign on during introduction as either a Co-Introducer or a Co-Sponsor. A Co-Introducer is a very strong supporter of the bill, and a Co-Sponsor is a supporter of the bill, but perhaps open to changes.
Key Legislation Under Councilmember Allen's Leadership
Education
- Books from Birth - One of Councilmember Allen's first laws passed set up the Books From Birth Program, which partners with Imagination Library and DC Public Library to mail one book a month to registered households with a child under the age of 5. The program targets areas of the city with lower rates of literacy. The program has mailed more than 150,000 books to kids across the city - with nearly half of the city's eligible children participating in the program.
Co-intro: Public School Nurse Assignment & Pre-K Student Discipline, Youth Suicide Prevention and School Climate Act
Oversight: Councilmember Allen has taken on ensuring lead levels are monitored and safe in DC schools.
Family/Aging:
- Collaborative Reproduction Amendment Act of 2015 - Modernizes and updates DC's surrogacy laws, taking DC from a jurisdiction with some of the most outdated laws to one with some of the most forward-thinking. (Washington Post)
- Safe at Home Act - Establishes grant funding for cost of installing accessibility modifications at residential homes for persons with mobility impairments.
- Domestic Partnership Termination Recognition Amendment Act
Co-intro: Access to Contraceptives, home purchase assistance program, minimum wage and universal paid leave (the last two lead into our work supporting small business too), Healthy Hearts of Babies
Small Business:
- Made in DC - Created the Made In DC Program to promote products and small businesses working in DC and unify them under a brand easy for consumers to identify. The program has been so successful a store recently announced it would open and only carry products made in DC!
- Secondhand Sales
Public Safety:
- Private Security Camera Rebate Program - Learn more about this program here.
- Snow removal - Allows the Mayor to enter into a business agreement with a Business Improvement District (BID) or DC Main Street Program during a declared snow emergency.
- Commission Climate Change and Resiliency - Established a new commission in the District to dispense
- Bicycle Awareness License Plates
Co-intro: Rail Safety, Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery (comparative fault), Substance Abuse and Opioid Overdose Prevention, NEAR Act
Good Government
- Ballot Access Modernization - Allows candidates for office or organizers for petitions to collect signatures via mobile or tablet devices, syncing with Board of Elections databases.
- Automatic Voter Registration - Creates an opt-in for eligible voters who are getting an ID or driver's license at the DC DMV and coordinates with Board of Elections.
DC Community:
- Tree Canopy Protection Amendment - Makes changes to update protected designations for trees in the District.
- End Taxation Without Representation License Plates - Adds the word "End" to the classic DC license plate phrase.
- Commemorative Flags Program - DC residents can now purchase a flag that has flown at their state capitol building. Available here through the Council's Office of the Secretary.
