DC Budget Markups: Council Boosts Funding for Some Services but Substantial Shortcomings Remain
Last week, DC Council committees voted on changes—or “mark-ups”—to the Mayor’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and supplemental FY 2021 budgets. While the mark-ups resulted in some funding increases for vital education, housing, and other programs, […]
Committee Leaves DC Police Budget Largely Untouched But Advances Police-Free Schools
During last week’s budget mark-up session, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety bolstered violence interruption programs and took steps toward removing police from schools; however, they missed an opportunity to divest significantly from policing.
“Tax Flight” is a Myth; DC Should Raise Taxes on the Wealthy for a Just Recovery
Some opponents to raising taxes on DC’s wealthiest residents or profitable businesses claim that it could cause those residents or businesses to move to neighboring states. However, these claims don’t stand up to empirical scrutiny.
Affordable Housing Investments and Transparency Should Be Council Priorities During Committee Markups
The Mayor’s proposed $400 million for the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 is historic and, if targeted as statutorily required, would go a long way in helping the District alleviate its affordable housing crisis.
DCFPI’s Budget Testimony Round-Up
DCFPI staff have delivered testimony at eleven budget hearings since the Mayor proposed her budget on May 27th. In these testimonies, we reminded lawmakers of the unprecedented opportunity to leverage American Rescue Plan dollars and raise local revenue for […]
Failure to Build a High-Quality Child Care System is a Major Misstep in the Mayor’s Budget
Mayor Bowser missed an unprecedented opportunity to combine federal and local funding to make bold, transformative investments that would strengthen the District’s early childhood system and ensure a just recovery for all children, families, and early […]
3 Takeaways from Mayor Bowser’s Budget: Some Big Investments, Some Key Misses
The Mayor is calling for a ‘Fair Shot,’ but racial and economic equity require that the budget and four-year financial plan go further to meet today’s deep need and address longstanding inequities that left communities sidelined by racism and economic […]
Five Ways the Mayor’s Budget Can Advance an Antiracist, Equitable Future
The budget can provide relief for the thousands of residents facing eviction and experiencing homelessness, students who have fallen behind, workers left out of relief measures, residents struggling with food insecurity, and child care facilities at risk of […]
American Rescue Plan Presents a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to Tackle Homelessness
The federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) offers a historic opportunity for the District to “build back better” by investing in our residents and communities. In addition to dedicated funding for homelessness, the District will receive $2.3 billion in […]
Three Things We Know About the Mayor’s Education Budget So Far
The unequal effects of the pandemic on Black, brown, immigrant, and low-income children and families—like the exacerbation of the digital divide and housing, food, and economic instability—threaten to deepen DC’s already wide and persistent racial and […]
