Dear Neighbor,

We must ensure our kids are engaged in positive activities to support their development, while also working to prevent dangerous situations.  

Today, the DC Council voted to postpone a vote on my emergency juvenile curfew bill to help keep District residents safe and prevent outbreaks of violence like we have seen in recent weeks in the Navy Yard, Hill East, and U Street. I am disappointed by the postponement until the next legislative meeting, which leaves us without this effective tool once it expires on April 15th. My emergency bill would have kept the curfew in place through September 25th. The legislation gives the MPD Chief the authority to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones in designated areas, which is especially critical when they have information about planned “teen takeovers” and other unsafe activities.  

To be clear: the juvenile curfew is just one effective and preventative tool to reduce juvenile crime without increasing arrests – it 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. These bills are sitting in other committees, and you can learn more about those bills here.  

Finally, I share in the great disappointment many of our neighbors felt when learning the federal government plans to remove the highly used protected bike lane on 15th Street along the National Mall. This is an important avenue to keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe, and to keep bikes and scooters off the sidewalks in these high traffic areas. The removal has been halted at least temporarily following a lawsuit filed by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). I am continuing to work on alternatives to protect this bike lane.  

Yours in service,

Brooke

Legislative Updates

SOUL Mark-up

On Thursday, March 26th, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety held a mark-up to advance the Support, Opportunity, Unity, Legal Relationships (SOUL) Amendment Act, which establishes a group of adults who provide support and legal assistance for young people ages 16 and older as they transition from foster care to adulthood. Councilmember Pinto co-introduced this bill that was led by Ward 5 CouncilmemberZachary Parker.  

911 Call Center Bill & Child Support Reform Bill Mark-up

On Wednesday, March 18th, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety held a mark-up and advanced four important bills:  

• The Emergency Medical Services Clarification Amendment Act, which Councilmember Pinto introduced last month to improve and protect the accuracy for 911 call center responses.  

• The Child Support Improvement Amendment Act, which Councilmember Pinto introduced with Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin and Attorney General Brian Schwalb to reform the District’s child support system to provide more money to DC families need.

• The Ensuring Access and Supporting Engagement (EASE) for DOC Residents Act, which is part of Councilmember Pinto's Prosper DC plan. This bill ensures people serving a sentence at the DOC can participate in our local legislative process and testify at DC Council hearings.

• The E911 Modernization Amendment Act, which would modernize the District’s 911 and 311 telecommunications tax and fees.

In the Community

Over the last two weeks, Councilmember Pinto and Team Pinto have met with residents, advocacy groups, and local and federal partners across the District, including:

• Meeting with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women to discuss efforts to enhance gender equality in education, healthcare, and employment

• Speaking at the 6th Annual Women in Business Luncheon hosted by the DC Chamber to discuss our shared goals of empowering female entrepreneurship in the District

• Joining the Sheridan-Kalorama Neighborhood Organizations annual meeting to discuss their efforts to enhance public spaces and the tree canopy, improve quality of life, and honor history around Sheridan-Kalorama

• Speaking at Shaw Main Streets annual meeting to discuss Councilmember Pinto’s commitment to supporting our small businesses and diversifying our local economy

In the News

READ WTOP: “DC bill could bring biggest changes to 911 call center in decades, advocates say”  

“The D.C. Council is considering a proposal that could bring the biggest reform to the agency that oversees the city’s 911 call center in its two-decade existence.

The bill introduced last month by Council member Brooke Pinto — the “Emergency Medical Services Clarification Amendment Act of 2026” — would require the medical director for the Fire and EMS Department to also serve as the medical director for the Office of Unified Communications...”

READ THE WASHINGTON INFORMER: “Black Women, Allies, and Elected Officials Navigate HIV Prevention Landscape”

“On March 3, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the PrEP DC Amendment Act on its second reading. The legislation, introduced by D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), includes elements of D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s bill, Removing Barriers and Reducing Stigma to Encourage HIV Prevention Amendment Act of 2025.

The PrEP DC Amendment Act prohibits health insurance companies from using prescription information for HIV prevention treatment to increase premiums for certain enrollees. It also stops insurers from imposing cost sharing, prior authorization and restrictions deemed medically unnecessary for coverage of HIV prevention services and federally-approved PEP and PrEP formulations...”

WATCH ABC7: “Weekend Navy yard teen takeover, Hill East shootout capture DC Council attention”

“Councilmember Brooke Pinto is the chair of the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, and told 7News she and her colleagues need to take action.

"We continue to do everything we can at the council to get illegal guns off the streets," Pinto said. "That's why in Secure DC we created a new felony offense of shooting a gun into a public space so that even if nobody is hit, we can take these cases really seriously...”

Announcements

EARTH DAY CLEANUP

Join Councilmember Pinto for the 2026 Earth Day Cleanup at Kennedy Recreation Center on Saturday, April 11 from 10am-12pm. Environmental stewardship has been an important legislative priority for Councilmember Pinto.  Click here to sign up to join us.

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.

Grand Opening of the Visual Arts Exhibit at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Underclassman Visual Arts Exhibit Grand Opening will be held April 10-May 13.

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