WASHINGTON — The DC Council voted on numerous big proposals during its last legislative meeting of the year.
The council gave its final approval to an idea that will ultimately make all Metrobuses in D.C. free for anyone to use as early as next July. The year after that, D.C. residents will also get an $100 monthly balance to use on their registered SmartTrip cards.
Councilmembers also voted to approve another transit measure aimed at protecting schoolchildren in the District.
The measure will double the size of school zones and require the District Department of Transportation to install raised crosswalks at every intersection next to a public school. District residents will also see more speed bumps and tables placed near school entrances too.
There are some big businesses changes that resulted from the council’s meeting.
D.C. leaders decided to approve a proposal to increase the tax on hotel rooms by 1%.
It's a move Destination D.C. hopes will raise more than $20 million a year to help boost the District’s advertising budget after the pandemic devastated local tourism.
The council also created a process for businesses to obtain medical cannabis licenses more easily in D.C. Qualifying patients in D.C. can now also self-certify to receive medical marijuana.
There’s a new policing law too.
If you want to make a Freedom of Information Act request for an officer’s disciplinary records, the council voted you can no longer be categorically denied for such a request under the claim it’s an unwarranted invasion of an officer’s personal privacy.
That same law also expands access to officers’ body-worn camera footage.
The DC Housing Authority Board will also see some major changes that resulted from council action Tuesday.
After a federal report criticized the board for being dysfunctional in its handling of public housing oversight, the council voted to reduce the number of people on board from 13 to nine people.
The board will now include housing advocates and public housing residents.