Text of DC B 250298 (2024)

May 26, 2023 Nyasha Smith, Secretary Council of the District of Columbia 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004 Dear Secretary Smith, Today, I am introducing the Black Queer History Commission Establishment Act of 2023. Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation, which is co-introduced by Councilmembers Charles Allen, Brianne K. Nadeau, Robert C. White, Jr, Kenyan R. McDuffie, Brooke Pinto, Matt Frumin, Janeese Lewis George, Christina Henderson, Trayon White, Sr., Vincent C. Gray, and Anita Bonds. This legislation seeks to establish a Black Queer History Commission to research and publish a report documenting the Black LGBTQIA+ history of the District of Columbia. This report would be housed in the DC Archives, and serve as a resource on the rich history of Black Queer contributions in the District. As the birthplace of Black Pride, the earliest and second largest Black LGBTQIA+ event in the world, DC is well-positioned to lead the way in collecting and preserving this important history. In doing so, our communities will also lead the way in building the future we want to see. As James Baldwin famously wrote, “History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.” Please contact my Legislative Director, Kendra Wiley, at kwiley@dccouncil.gov if you have any questions about this legislation. Sincerely, Zachary Parker Ward 5 Councilmember 1 ______________________________ _______________________________ 1 Councilmember Charles Allen Councilmember Zachary Parker 2 3 4 _______________________________ _______________________________ 5 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 6 7 8 _______________________________ ________________________________ 9 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Brooke Pinto 10 11 12 _______________________________ ________________________________ 13 Councilmember Matt Frumin Councilmember Janeese Lewis George 14 15 16 _______________________________ _______________________________ 17 Councilmember Christina Henderson Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. 18 19 20 21 ______________________________ _______________________________ 22 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray Councilmember Anita Bonds 23 24 25 26 27 28 A BILL 29 _________________________ 30 31 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 32 33 _________________________ 34 35 36 To establish the Black Queer History Commission to research and publish a report documenting 37 the Black LGBTQIA+ history of the District. 38 39 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 40 act may be cited as the “Black Queer History Commission Establishment Act of 2023”. 41 Sec. 2. Establishment and purpose. 42 2 (a) There is established the Black Queer History Commission (“Commission”) to serve as 43 a collaborative body to research, collect, develop, and archive Black LGBTQIA+ history, and to 44 educate and promote knowledge of the history of the Black Pride Movement and the notable 45 people, places, and events that contribute to the rich history of the national and global queer 46 culture. 47 (b) The purpose of the Commission will be to research, document, and archive Black 48 LGBTQIA+ history in the District and produce a report to be housed in the District of Columbia 49 Archives. The report shall include recommendations on how to educate the public on the 50 contents in the report. 51 (c)(1) The Commission shall be comprised of six voting members to be appointed as 52 follows: 53 (A) One member from Howard University with expertise in Black 54 LGBTQIA+ history; 55 (B) Two members appointed by Council; 56 (C) Two members appointed by the Mayor, with the advice and consent of 57 the Council, pursuant to section 2(e) of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 58 (D.C. Law 2-141; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01(3); and 59 (D) One member from the Commission on Arts; 60 (2) A majority of the sitting voting members shall constitute a quorum. 61 (3) All voting members shall have equal power to vote. 62 (4) The first meeting of the Commission shall occur no later than May 1, 2024. 63 (5) The Commission shall convene at least 12 times and meet at least once a 64 month. 65 3 (6) Subject to an appropriation for the purpose, members of the Commission shall 66 be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses for up to 12 meetings. 67 (7) The Commission shall sunset on November 1, 2025, or after the report 68 required by subsection (d) of this section has been published. 69 (d)(1) No later than 18 months after the effective date of this act the Commission shall 70 publish and transmit to the Mayor and Council a report. 71 (2) The Commission shall gather input for the report as follows: 72 (A) Hold a minimum of 5 public meetings; and 73 (B) At least 90 days prior to completing the Report, the Commission shall 74 publish a draft report and provide a 30-day public comment period. 75 Sec. 3. Applicability. 76 (a) Section 2(c)(6) shall apply upon the date of inclusion of its fiscal effect in an 77 approved budget and financial plan. 78 (b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in 79 an approved budget and financial plan, and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council 80 of the certification. 81 (c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in 82 the District of Columbia Register. 83 (2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the 84 applicability of this act. 85 Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 86 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 87 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 88 4 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 89 Sec. 5. Effective date. 90 This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 91 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 92 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 93 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 94 Columbia Register. 95

ENROLLED ORIGINAL 1 AN ACT _________________ IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA _________________________ To require the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Affairs to research and produce a report documenting the Black LGBTQIA+ history of the District. BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the “Black LGBTQIA+ History Preservation Establishment Act of 2024”. Sec. 2. Black LGBTQIA+ history report. (a) The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Affairs (“Office”) shall research and produce a report on Black LGBTQIA+ history in the District. The report shall include: (1) The history of the Black Pride Movement in the District and the notable people, places, and events that contribute to the rich history of the national and global queer culture; (2) An analysis of the unique history of Black Trans people in the District and the contributions they have made to culture, activism, education, and other important spheres of life; (3) The historical context of the AIDS Crisis, its effects on the Black LGBTQIA+ community in the District, and how policy choices impact the community to the present day; (4) Curriculum recommendations for teaching Black LGBTQIA+ history in public schools in line with the Social Studies Standards for District of Columbia students; and (5) Recommendations on how to promote the report to the public. (b) In developing the report, the Office shall consult individuals with lived experience or expertise on the topics covered and may provide compensation to those individuals for their time and contributions. (c) The Office shall gather input for the report before final publication as follows: (1) Hold a minimum of 2 public meetings; and (2) At least 90 days prior to completing the report, shall publish a draft report and provide a 30-day public comment period. (d) The Office shall submit the final report to the Mayor, the Council, the District of Columbia Archives, and the DC Public Library’s People’s Archives by May 1, 2025. ENROLLED ORIGINAL 2 Sec. 3. Advisory committee. (a) There is established an Advisory Committee to provide guidance and feedback on the development of the report required by section 2. The Advisory Committee shall consist of 6 members to be appointed as follows: (1) One member from a Historically Black College or University located in the District, with expertise in Black LGBTQIA+ history, recommended by the Office; (2) Two members, with expertise in Black LGBTQIA+ history, appointed by the Chairman of the Council; (3) Two members, with expertise in Black LGBTQIA+ history, appointed by the Mayor; and (4) One member who is the Executive Director of the Commission on the Arts and Humanities, or his or her designee, with expertise in Black LGBTQIA+ history. (b) The Advisory Committee shall meet no more than once a month for up to 12 months to conduct its business and shall remain in effect until the completion of the report required by section 2. (c) The Advisory Committee shall submit a final commentary summarizing its activities, recommendations, and any dissenting opinions to the Office, which shall be incorporated into the final report required by section 2. Sec. 4. Advisory committee compensation. (a) Section 1108(c-2) of the District of Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-139; D.C. Official Code §1- 611.08(c-2)), is amended as follows: (1) Paragraph (8) is amended by striking the period “.” and inserting a semi-colon in its place. (2) A new paragraph (10) is added to read as follows: “(10) Each member of the Advisory Committee appointed pursuant to section 3 of the Black LGBTQ History Preservation Establishment Act of 2024, passed on 2nd reading on April 2, 2024 (Enrolled version of Bill 25-298), may receive compensation in the form of a stipend of not more than $100 per meeting of the Advisory Committee, in accordance with standards the Mayor may establish by rulemaking.”. (b) Expenses incurred by the Advisory Committee as a whole, or by an individual member when the expense was duly authorized by the Office, shall be reimbursed pursuant to section 1108(d) of the District of Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-139; D.C. Official Code § 1-611.08(d)). Sec. 5. Applicability. (a) This act shall apply upon the date of inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. (b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council ENROLLED ORIGINAL 3 of the certification. (c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in the District of Columbia Register. (2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the applicability of this act. Sec. 6. Fiscal impact statement. The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). Sec. 7. Effective date. This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). ______________________________ Chairman Council of the District of Columbia _________________________________ Mayor District of Columbia