Dear Neighbor,

Budget

The DC Council is in the process of reviewing the budget after Mayor Bowser transmitted her Fiscal Year 2027 budget earlier this month. As Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I have been holding budget hearings for the public safety agencies under my purview. Tomorrow, I am holding a budget hearing with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Office of Unified Communications (OUC), which operates our 911 and 311 call centers. You can learn more and submit testimony here. Next week, I’ll be holding a budget hearing with the Fire & EMS Department, Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants, and the Department of Corrections. You can sign-up to testify or submit testimony here. I’ve included the schedule of hearings below and want to hear from you.  

Youth Safety

Keeping all DC residents and visitors safe remains my top priority, and we must ensure we promote prevention and programming to protect and empower young people to thrive. I worked with the mayor and Councilmember Doni Crawford to amend the permanent youth curfew legislation, which the DC Council advanced during the legislative meeting on Tuesday, April 21st. The permanent youth curfew bill allows MPD to declare designated 8pm youth curfew zones for groups of eight or more people under age 18 as a preventative tool and implements a District-wide midnight curfew for teens age 17 and under. The first vote on the permanent youth curfew bill passed 8-5 and we will have a second vote on it during the May 5th legislative meeting.  

Unfortunately, my colleagues voted to yet again postpone the vote on my emergency bill to extend the ability of MPD to declare youth curfew zones through September, which would prevent a gap over the spring and summer months. I remain committed to working with the community and all of my colleagues on other measures to support safety for all of our kids and hope we can pass the emergency at our next legislative meeting. The juvenile curfew is just one effective and preventative tool to reduce juvenile crime without increasing arrests that must also be coupled with meaningful expansions of youth programming and investments in our young people. My Prosper DC plan includes several bills that create more programming in the District to ensure young people have safe places to go including on nights and weekends.  

Yours in service,

Brooke

Legislative Updates

Youth Curfew

On Tuesday, April 21st, the DC Council advanced the permanent youth curfew bill, which allows MPD to declare designated 8pm youth curfew zones for groups of eight or more people under age 18 as a preventative tool and implements a District-wide midnight curfew for teens age 17 and under. The first vote on the permanent youth curfew bill passed 8-5 and the Council will have a second vote on it during the May 5th legislative meeting.

Budget Hearing: Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Office of Attorney General, and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice

On Wednesday, April 22nd, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety held a budget hearing for the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Office of Attorney General, and the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.  

The Office of the Attorney General or “OAG” is an independent agency charged with conducting the District’s legal business. OAG represents the District in most civil litigation, prosecutes certain adult crimes and nearly all juvenile criminal matters, and represents the District in a variety of administrative hearings and other proceedings. During the budget hearing, Chairwoman Pinto questioned OAG about the impact of the proposed cuts to the agency. This includes cuts to 58 of OAG’s Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), which represent full-time positions for support and paralegal staff. These FTE cuts threaten the agency’s statutory requirements, timely operations, attorney caseload capacity, and the ability to bring cases to trial. Chairwoman Pinto also discussed the proposed $3 million cuts in vacancy savings, which would prevent the agency from backfilling vacant positions, as well as the proposed $1 million budget cuts in domestic workers and workers’ rights grants, which support organizations that educate employees about their rights and provide legal representation.  

The Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or “ONSE,” was launched in 2017 to create a public health-based, community-oriented model of violence prevention and public safety. ONSE was created based on the premise that the overwhelming majority of serious violent crime is committed by a relatively small group of people, and that by identifying and engaging these individuals, we can drastically reduce violent crime in the District. During the budget hearing, Chairwoman Pinto questioned the agency about the impact of the proposed $2.6 million budget cuts from the Pathways Program, which aims to reduce violence across DC by equipping people at high risk of being involved in gun violence with civic engagement skills. These cuts will dramatically reshape the program and reduce the availability of these services. The budget proposal also cuts $280,000 from the Violence Interruption Program and eliminates the Family and Survivor Support (FSS) program, which means there will no longer be a dedicated team to connect families to resources and coordinate post-trauma support.  

The Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, or “DMPSJ,” is responsible for providing direction and support to, and coordination of, the District’s public safety agencies to develop and lead interagency public safety initiatives to improve the quality of life in DC. During the budget hearing, Chairwoman Pinto questioned the agency about the impact of the proposed budget not having dedicated funding for the Safe and Secure nonprofit grant program, which improves security for nonprofits through the installation of increased security measures, and the impact of not having dedicated funding for the Safe Commercial Corridors grant program. She also raised concerns about future funding for the Safe Passage program, which helps ensure students can get safely to and from school.  

Chairwoman Pinto is deeply concerned about the impact of the proposed budget cuts and is continuing to explore avenues to ensure District residents have access to the critical services they need. You can submit testimony on these budgets here until close of business Wednesday, April 29th.  

In the Community

Councilmember Pinto and Team Pinto recently have met with residents, advocacy groups, and local partners across the District, including:

• Joining the DC Federation of Democratic Women for their advocacy day at the John A. Wilson building to discuss our shared goals of uplifting District residents and families

• Speaking at Bisnow’s State of the Market event to discuss Councilmember Pinto’s Prosper DC plan and ways to support our local economy

• Joining the Jewish Community Relations Council’s DC Advocacy Day to discuss ways to support our Jewish neighbors, combat antisemitism, support childcare workers, and expand access to affordable housing

• Presenting a resolution with Councilmember Charles Allen honoring the Person Center for its dedication to supporting African immigrants and refugee survivors of domestic violence as we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Announcements

POWERUP DC

DC Health Link and the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) will present the 2026 POWERUP DC – Small Business Summit & Expo on Tuesday, May 5th from 8:00am-3:00pm.

LGBTQIA SAFETY

The Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs in partnership with LGBTQIA+ Violence Prevention and Response Team presents the Safety in Numbers Community Fair, a free public safety and wellness Event for LGBTQIA+ Community.

TRUCK TOUCH 2026

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, RFK Stadium’s Lot 8 will hold DC's annual "Truck Touch" celebration from 8:00am to 2:00pm for a high-energy, hands-on experience for all ages. Sign up to join the event by clicking here.

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