DCist: D.C. Council Won’t Delay Closure Of D.C. General
CLC attorney Kathy Zeisel recently talked with DCist’s Natlie Delgadillo about emergency legislation related to DC General closing.
Through apparent negotiations between councilmembers, White’s original legislation had been amended to completely remove any mention of halting demolition. Instead, it instituted oversight measures requiring Bowser’s office to report updates on the number of lead and asbestos samples taken at the demolition site and whether any of the samples exceed federal standards. It also calls for the Council to receive weekly reports about the number of families that have exited and how many still remain at D.C. General.
“These reporting requirements aren’t effective. They’re being reported to the Council when the Council is not even in session,” says Kathy Zeisel of the Children’s Law Center, which supported the original version of White’s bill. “There’s nothing that triggers enforcement or any next step. It doesn’t even say what happens if they find [elevated levels of] lead and asbestos.”