I hope everyone is doing well, and that most of you are staying home. I wanted to provide you with some information that I hope you’ll find useful. Please take note of the relief fund we have created, to assist many in the city that are under much financial stress, and are not eligible to apply for unemployment benefits because of their immigration status. Please make a donation to help these DC families.
I am trying to keep in touch with the community by hosting “live” on-line broadcastings. Please visit http://dcireporter.com/liveitv/ to see the next scheduled broadcast in English, and http://reporteroird.com/liveitv/ for the Spanish version.
Thank you and stay safe.
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DC COVID-19 Data as of April 8, 2020:
Total Tested Overall: 8724
Total Positives: 1523
Total Lives Lost: 32
Total Recovered: 393
For the latest information on the effect of COVID-19 in the District of Columbia as well as food resources, health guidance, resources for businesses and individuals, the operating status of DC Government and more, please visit https://coronavirus.dc.gov .
Federal Funding for DC -Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
The Coronavirus relief legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Trump provides the District of Columbia with significantly less funding than the rest of the country. The District has a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont but received fewer funds than all 50 states in the stimulus bill. It was included with the territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which collectively received $3.3 billion in funding. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said on Thursday the city’s residents will each receive $700, compared to residents in states, who are on track to receive $2,000 per capita. Each of the 50 states received $1.25 billion in aid. Congressional leaders are meeting again to put together another aid package to help the country get through the pandemic. Congress must include the $750,000,000 they cheated DC out of in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed last week, but it requires us taking action. Please visit: https://www.showup4dc.com/cheated, so you can help us remind Congress that DC pays more federal tax per capital than any other state, and that we pay more taxes than 22 states, therefore DC MUST get funded like a state, and NOT a territory.
DC Government Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
DC Council COVID-19 Response Emergency Act. On March 17th 2020, the District of Columbia passed the COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, which extended additional benefits under the District’s unemployment insurance law and the D.C. Family and Medical Leave Act, and among other things also provided various forms of business relief. On April 7, the DC Council passed the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020. This is “Part 2” of Council’s efforts to help our city recover. To pass the bill, the DC Council met remotely for the first time in its 45-year history. Highlights from the Bill include:
· Rents are frozen across the District, not only in rent-controlled homes;
· Mortgage companies are required to offer payment deferrals of up to 90 days;
· Protections against utility shutoffs are expanded to include cable and telecommunications service;
· Debt-collection lawsuits and the seizures of cars and other property are prohibited;
· The definition of employment, for the purposes of collecting unemployment insurance, has been expanded to include self-employment, part-time work and others “who otherwise would not qualify”;
· Mayor Muriel Bowser has been given the authority to extend her emergency orders for a total of 90 days, ending in mid-June;
· A $25 million grant program has been established for D.C. hospitals to buy equipment, hire staff and build temporary hospitals.
· Every voter in the June 2 primary and the Ward 2 special election on June 16 will get an application for an absentee ballot in the mail, with return postage paid.
2020 US Census
The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. That funding shapes many different aspects of every community, no matter the size, no matter the location. Most households received their invitation to respond to the 2020 Census between March 12 – 20. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. For more information and to complete the 2020 Census online, visit https://2020census.gov/en.html .
Request an Absentee Ballot -June Election Schedule
In light of the spread of COVID-19, 20 vote centers will open throughout the District beginning May 22, 2020, and will remain open through June 2, 2020. Social distancing measures will be enforced at all vote centers. All locations will open from 8:30am until 7pm, including on Election Day. The usual 144 precincts will NOT open on Election Day. For the June 16, 2020 Ward 2 Special Election, vote centers will open beginning Friday, June 12 and will remain open through Election Day. Social distancing measures will be enforced at all vote centers. The Board encourages ALL residents to request an absentee (mail-in) ballot for the June Primary & Special Elections. Applications for absentee ballot requests can be obtained by calling (202) 741-5283, faxing, or emailing the Board, or they can be made online by proceeding to our main website: https://dcboe.org
Financial Assistance for Those Not Eligible for Government Assistance
PLEASE DONATE. There are those in need, undocumented workers in particular, who will not qualify for assistance from the local and federal governments during this very difficult time. We have setup a GoFundMe relief fund to help some families in DC. Please visit website: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dclatinoworkers?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet, and make a contribution. Thank you for the support.
Latinx Leaders and Community Advocates Tele-Town Hall with AG Karl A. Racine
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and AG Racine will host a tele-town hall style conference call to learn about protections for workers, consumers, and tenants, and to hear concerns from the community. AG Racine, OAG attorneys, Paula Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Ayuda, and Elizabeth Falcon, Executive Director of DC Jobs with Justice will present. There will also be a Q&A session with participants.
Call-in details below:
Call-in number: 877-299-8493
Participant Code: 119359
Please RSVP by emailing OAGCommunity@dc.gov, send us your questions, and help us by sharing this event with your networks.
Thank you and stay safe.
Franklin Garcia
US Representative (Shadow) for the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW C-09
Washington DC 20004
202-727-9110 (Office)
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