Source: https://development.code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/laws/21-269.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 08:21:29+00:00

Document:
D.C. Law Library - D.C. Law 21-269. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016.
D.C. Law 21-269. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016.
↪ D.C. Law 21-269. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016.
Law 21-269, the “Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016,” was introduced in the Council and assigned Bill No. 21-697 which was referred to the Committee on Housing and Community Development. The bill was adopted on first and second readings on Nov. 15, 2016, and Dec. 20, 2016, respectively. After mayoral review, it was assigned Act No. 21-687 on Feb. 17, 2017, and transmitted to Congress for its review. D.C. Law 21-269 became effective Apr. 7, 2017.
To amend the Advisory Neighborhood Councils Act of 1975 to permit District government entities to provide electronic notice to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions ("ANCs") by default and first-class mail notice by request; to transfer duties related to ANC quarterly financial reports from the D.C. Auditor to the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to provide for 7-day advance publication of ANC meeting draft agendas; to provide that officer transition protocols and tiebreaking procedures shall be included in ANC bylaws; to stipulate that ANC committees are to be advisory only; to stipulate minimum duties for ANC officer positions; to require the Mayor to assist an ANC with locating office space in the ward of the ANC; to provide executive staff of District agencies, boards, and commissions with optional training on ANC procedures provided by the OANC; to require the Mayor to reimburse translation and interpretation service costs incurred by a Commission; to provide an online ANC portal for streamlined communication between ANCs and other government entities, viewable by the public; to require each ANC treasurer to maintain a publicly viewable and up-to-date treasurer's report; to clarify that the OANC is required to return an ANC's confiscated checkbook immediately upon receiving and approving any outstanding financial reports; to permit an ANC to provide up to $100 worth of food and nonalcoholic beverages at each public meeting for residents who attend; to permit ANCs to incur expenses for meals and personal subsistence items to the extent such purchases are for a public purpose or other specifically authorized purpose; to provide for certain ANC documents to be produced from templates created by the OANC; to limit overhead costs for any ANC grant to 15% of the total amount of the grant; to require each ANC grantee to give regular updates to the granting ANC on the use of grant funds; to authorize the OANC to prohibit ANC grants to any recipient that uses ANC grant money inconsistently with the grant agreement; to provide for reimbursement of Commissioners from ANC allotments for travel and childcare expenses incurred to carry out Commissioner duties; to clarify the ownership of records kept and items purchased by or on behalf of an ANC; to provide for additional and clarified responsibilities for the OANC; and to authorize the Office of Open Government to assist the OANC with Freedom of Information Act training and provide support in fulfilling FOIA requests.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016".
"(2A) "Commissioner" means a member of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
"(2B) "Community" means those residents who reside within a Commission area.
"(2C) "DCAPA" means the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act, approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; D.C. Official Code § 2-501 et seq.).".
"(5) "OANC" means the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions established by section 18.".
(b) Section 5 (D.C. Official Code § 1-309.04) is amended by striking the phrase "Board of Elections and Ethics" and inserting the phrase "Board of Elections" in its place.
(2) Subparagraph (C) is amended by striking the phrase "office." and inserting the phrase "office; and" in its place.
"(D) Has not been convicted of a felony committed while serving as a Commissioner.".
(d) Section 8 (D.C. Official Code § 1-309.06) is amended by striking the phrase "Board of Elections and Ethics" wherever it appears and inserting the phrase "Board of Elections" in its place.
(1) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the final sentence.
(2) Subsection (b) is amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the following sentence in its place: "The executive branch and any independent agency, board, or commission shall give 30-days written notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, of: (1) the intent to acquire an interest in real property, either through purchase or lease; or (2) the intent to change the use of property owned or leased by or on behalf of the government; to the OANC, each affected Commission, the Commissioner representing a single-member district affected by said actions, and to each affected Ward Councilmember, except where shorter notice on good cause made and published with the notice may be provided, or in the case of an emergency, and the notice shall be published in the District of Columbia Register.".
(i) Strike the first sentence.
(ii) Strike the phrase "required in subsection (a)" and insert the phrase "required in subsection (b)" in its place.
"(1A) All notices transmitted pursuant to this section may be by electronic mail, unless otherwise provided by law, or unless the party to be noticed requests in writing to receive first-class mail notifications. Requests for first-class mail notification under this subsection shall be sent to the OANC, which shall forward the requests to all Advisory Neighborhood Commission Liaisons.".
(C) Paragraph (2)(A) is amended by striking the phrase "first class mail" and inserting the phrase "electronic mail, subject to paragraph (1A) of this subsection," in its place.
(D) Paragraph (3) is amended by striking the phrase "electronic or first-class mail; provided, that the notice to the affected Commission shall be by first-class mail unless the affected Commission agrees in writing to receive electronic mail notifications" and inserting the phrase "electronic mail, subject to paragraph (1A) of this subsection," in its place.
(E) Paragraph (4) is amended by striking the phrase "electronic or first-class mail; provided, that the notice to the affected Commission shall be by first-class mail unless the affected Commission agrees in writing to receive electronic mail notifications" and inserting the phrase "electronic mail, subject to paragraph (1A) of this subsection," in its place.
(4) Subsection (l) is amended by striking the phrase "District of Columbia Auditor" and inserting the acronym "OANC" in its place.
"(n-1) By December 1 of each year, each Commission shall publish an annual report or newsletter that summarizes the activities of the Commission in service to the community over the preceding 12 months, including a highlighting of key issues voted upon, comments submitted to District agencies, and issuance of community grants.".
"(1A) A Commissioner must be physically present at a public meeting in order to participate in the meeting, including being counted toward the presence of a quorum and voting on matters before the Commission.".
(A) Strike the phrase ", individuals with official business before the Commission,".
(B) Strike the phrase "good cause" and insert the phrase "good cause articulated in the notice" in its place.
"(B) Transmit the draft agenda electronically to the OANC.
"(2) The Commission shall retain the right to modify the draft agenda for a public meeting as necessary following publication of the draft agenda; provided, that the Commission shall only discuss or take official action upon an item added to a draft agenda after initial publication pursuant to this subsection upon official approval of the addition of the item to the agenda by the Commission.
"(c-2) Any individual or entity whose property or business may be the subject of discussion or official action by a Commission may notify the Commission in writing that the individual or entity wishes to be directly contacted upon the placement of the property or business on a published draft agenda, and of the preferred method of contact. Any Commission so notified shall make a good-faith attempt to contact the notifying individual or entity in a timely manner, using the preferred method of contact specified, upon adding to a published draft agenda any matter directly pertaining to the property or business of the individual or entity.".
(A) Subparagraph (I) is amended by striking the word "and" at the end.
(B) Subparagraph (J) is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting the phrase "; and" in its place.
"(L) A tiebreaking procedure for Commission officer elections.".
"(1) Each Commission shall elect from among its members at a public meeting of the Commission held in January of each year, a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each Commission may also elect any other officers that the Commission deems necessary. For each Commission officer election, the Commission shall nominate a non-Commissioner to count ballots for officer positions.".
"(1A)(A) The Chairperson shall serve as convener of the Commission and shall chair the Commission meetings.
"(B) The Vice-Chairperson shall fulfill the obligations of the Chairperson upon the absence, death, incapacitation, or resignation of the Chairperson.
"(C) The Secretary shall ensure that appropriate minutes of Commission meetings are kept and that appropriate notice of Commission meetings is provided in accordance with subsection (c) of this section. The Secretary shall ensure that Commission meeting agendas, minutes, and written recommendations for other government entities are electronically transmitted to the OANC upon their completion.
"(D) The Treasurer shall ensure that the responsibilities provided for in section 16 are fulfilled. No individual may serve as both the Chairperson and Treasurer simultaneously for any Commission.
"(E) The views or recommendations of each Commission shall be presented only by its officers, Commissioners, or representatives appointed by the Commission at a public meeting to represent the Commission's views on a particular issue or proposed action.".
"(f-1) Committees and task forces of a Commission shall be advisory only, except that a Commission may officially adopt committee or task force determinations. A Commission shall not delegate official decision-making authority to any committee or task force.".
"(g) Each Commission, including each committee of a Commission, shall be subject to the open meetings provisions of section 742 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 831; D.C. Official Code § 1-207.42). No meeting may be closed to the public unless personnel or legal matters are discussed. Without limiting the scope of section 742 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 831; D.C. Official Code § 1-207.42), the following categories of information shall be specifically made available to the public subject to section 204 of the DCAPA:".
(A) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase "District of Columbia Auditor" and inserting the acronym "OANC" in its place.
"(C-ii) Reimbursement to the Commission for the purchase or rental of assistive listening systems, as they are described in the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, Section 706 of Appendix D to 36 C.F.R. Part 1191, for use by hearing-impaired residents or Commissioners at Commission proceedings; provided, that applications for reimbursement under this subparagraph shall be submitted to OANC, using a form prescribed by the Mayor;".
"(4) The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia shall provide legal interpretations of statutes concerning or affecting the Commissions, or of issues or concerns affecting the Commissions. These interpretations may be requested directly by any Commission or by the OANC.
"(A) An email address for each Commission Chairperson, including the word "chair" and the single-member district alphanumeric designation, correspondence to which shall automatically be directed to the government-provided single-member district email address of the Commission Chairperson.
"(B) An online Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Portal ("ANC Portal") where District agencies, boards, and commissions may post notices and documentation, Commissioners may post questions and comments, and agencies may respond to questions and comments posted by Commissioners. All content uploaded to the ANC Portal shall be accessible for viewing by the general public. Communications between government entities and Commissioners via the ANC Portal shall not be considered sufficient for meeting the requirements of section 13.
"(6) The District of Columbia Office of Open Government ("OOG") shall develop a training program and materials on the requirements of title II of the DCAPA ("FOIA") with respect to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. The OOG shall coordinate with the OANC to include OOG-developed FOIA training materials in Commissioner training sessions provided by the OANC. OOG shall also provide a training session at least twice per calendar year on Commission obligations under FOIA, to which all Commissioners shall be invited.".
"(f)(1) Each executive and independent agency, board, and commission of the District shall assign an individual to act as an Advisory Neighborhood Commission Liaison who shall serve as a designated contact for all Commissioners conducting official business with the government entity. The duties of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission Liaison shall include transmitting notice to Commissions pursuant to section 13 for any action that the government entity has determined to require notice under section 13, acknowledging receipt of Commission-approved comments submitted pursuant to section 13(d), and forwarding the Commission comments to the appropriate staff.
"(2) The OANC shall maintain a list of Advisory Neighborhood Commission Liaisons.
"(3) The Mayor shall transmit to each Commission and the OANC the e-mail and telephone contact information for any newly designated Advisory Neighborhood Commission Liaison within 5 business days of the designation.".
"(g) The Mayor shall provide informational materials to all newly hired or promoted District supervisory employees of the executive branch on the role of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and on their relationship to other government entities with which they interact. The materials shall cover the responsibilities of District agencies under section 13.
"(h) The OANC shall hold biannual training sessions on the responsibilities of District agencies with respect to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, including those responsibilities under section 13. The OANC shall invite the director or highest-ranking officer of each District government agency, board, or commission, or his or her designee, to attend the training.".
"(c-1) The treasurer of each Commission shall maintain an up-to-date treasurer's report that shall be available for any Commissioner or member of the public to review at each regular public Commission meeting.".
(2) Subsection (d)(2) is amended by striking the phrase "Corporation Counsel" and inserting the phrase "Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia" in its place.
(A) Paragraph (1) is amended by striking the phrase "without the specific authorization of the Commission" and inserting the phrase "without the specific authorization of the Commission, except for reimbursements approved by the Commission treasurer under subsection (l-1) of this section" in its place.
"(iv) A note describing the purpose of the payment.".
(A) Strike the phrase "Corporation Counsel" and insert the phrase "Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia" in its place.
(B) Strike the word "Auditor" and insert the acronym "OANC" in its place.
(i) Strike the word "Auditor" wherever it appears and insert the acronym "OANC" in its place.
(ii) Strike the word "Auditor's" and insert the acronym "OANC's" in its place.
(ii) Insert the sentence "Upon receiving and approving all outstanding quarterly financial reports from the Commission, the OANC shall immediately return the checkbook to the Commission." before the last sentence.
(i) Striking the phrase "and nominal refreshments at Commission meetings" and inserting the phrase "legal expenses for Commission representation by an attorney licensed in the District before an agency, board, or commission of the District government, and nominal refreshments at Commission meetings" in its place.
(ii) Striking the sentence "Expenditures may be in the form of grants by the Commission for public purposes within the Commission area pursuant to subsection (m) of this section." and inserting the sentences "Nominal refreshments shall be limited to $100 worth of food and nonalcoholic beverages per regular public Commission meeting, and any refreshments purchased shall be available to the public. Expenditures may be in the form of grants by the Commission for public purposes within the Commission area pursuant to subsection (m) of this section. A public purpose shall be a purpose that benefits the community as a whole and is not done for the primary purpose of benefitting a private entity." in its place.
(iii) Adding after the final sentence the following: "Where a Commissioner submits a complete and valid application for reimbursement for travel or childcare expenses under subsection (l-1) of this section, a Commission shall reimburse that Commissioner for all requested expenses for which the Commissioner qualifies under subsection (l-1).".
"(2) No Commission may expend funds except as authorized under this act. Prohibited expenditures include those for any purpose that involves partisan political activity, legal expenses other than for Commission representation before an agency, board, or commission of the District government, or travel outside of the Washington metropolitan area.".
"(3) Commissions shall use staff payroll forms provided by the OANC.".
"(l-1)(1) A Commission shall expend funds to reimburse any Commissioner who submits a complete application for reimbursement from the Commission allotment for qualifying travel or childcare expenses incurred to carry out qualifying official duties of the Commissioner in accordance with this subsection; provided, that the maximum total reimbursement that any individual Commissioner may receive under this subsection in a single calendar year shall be $500.
"(2) An application for reimbursement shall be completed using a form created by the OANC, which shall be available to individual Commissioners upon request, and which shall indicate any attachments required to demonstrate that the expense qualifies under this subsection. A Commission Treasurer shall not approve the release of Commission funds under this subsection except where the application for reimbursement meets all requirements under this subsection. To qualify for reimbursement under this subsection, a Commissioner shall submit an application within 30 days of incurring the relevant expense. Upon approving an application for reimbursement under this subsection, the Commission Treasurer shall electronically transmit the application to the OANC, which shall maintain electronic copies of all applications. The Commission Treasurer shall ensure that applications submitted under this subsection are included in quarterly financial reports of the Commission prepared pursuant to subsection (j) of this section.
"(v) Attending training provided under this act.
"(ii) Expenses charged to the Commissioner for childcare services that comply with all licensing requirements of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.".
"(D) An accounting by the grantees of the expected overhead costs the grantees will incur in carrying out the grant. No Commission shall provide a grant for which the grantee estimates that the overhead costs would exceed 15% of the entire grant amount.".
"(B) Shall maintain a list, available to any Commissioner upon request, of prohibited grantees identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.".
(9) Subsection (q) is amended by striking the phrase "may seek to reprogram funds" and inserting the phrase "shall assist the Commission in locating appropriate office space in the ward in which the Commission is located, and may seek to reprogram funds" in its place.
"(r) Any document created by requirement of this act, and any equipment purchased by, or on behalf of, a Commission, is the property of the District, and not the property of any Commissioner or other individual.
"(s) Commissioners shall attend at least one training session per year conducted by the OANC pursuant to section 18(c)(5)(5).".
"Sec. 18. Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions; appointment of Executive Director.
"(a) There is hereby established an Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to provide technical, administrative, and financial reporting assistance to the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. Subject to appropriations beginning in Fiscal Year 2001, the OANC shall be funded by an annual budget allocation. The OANC is intended to support the efforts of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, review Commission quarterly financial reports, and approve or disapprove the release of Commission quarterly allotments pursuant to section 16.
"(b) The OANC shall be headed by an Executive Director who shall be appointed by the Council.
"(16) Reviewing Commission quarterly financial reports, and approving or disapproving the release of Commission quarterly allotments pursuant to section 16.
"(d) Funds may be transferred from the OANC through an intra-District transfer for the operations of the OANC.
"(e) The OANC may issue rules to implement the provisions of this section.".
(a) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, this act shall apply upon the date of inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan.
(d) Section 2(g)(1)(A), (h)(4)(B), (h)(5)(A), (h)(7), (h)(8), and (i) shall apply on April 1st, 2017.
Within 180 days after the effective date of this act, the Mayor, pursuant to Title I of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act, approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; D.C. Official Code § 2-501 et seq.), shall issue rules to implement the provisions of this act.

References: § 2
 § 1
 § 1
 § 1
 § 1
 § 2