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| DC City Council Bill 16-80 Prostitution Related Nuisance Abatement Amendment Act of 2005 (formerly the Prostitution and Brothel Abatement Act of 2004, B15-778) |
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| DC Mayor Anthony Williams has reintroduced legislation that could make the work of Different Avenues harder because it increases criminalization of people involved in sex work. The "Prostitution and Brothel Abatement Act" died in Committee last year, and the new version has been stripped of language specific to licensing of massage establishments. Download a fact sheet with more information about the Act. A new coalition of groups and individuals, the Alliance for a Safe & Diverse DC, has formed to stop this bill and another one introduced by the mayor, both of which greatly increase criminalization of people in DC. We are drafting a sign-on letter for organizations and individuals to sign. We testified at the public hearing on the bill on June 8. Different Avenues Board member Denise Brennan and Senior Outreach Worker Erika Smith gave testimony before the committee and were also interviewed by the media. It seemed that there was an opening for dialogue about the issues. We are currently arranging visits with individual council members if you would like to come along. More information about what you can say to your council member below. A copy of the bill can be viewed here. The new Chair of the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is Jim Graham (W-1). Other members include Sharon Ambrose (W-6), Kwame Brown (At-Large), David Catania (At-Large), and Adrian Fenty (W-4). DC City Council website. Past Updates At the Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Committee meeting of the DC Council on December 1 2004, Committee Chair Sharon Ambrose (Ward 6) postponed the scheduled vote on the "Prostitution and Brothel Abatement Act of 2004," bill 15-778. Councilmembers David Catania (At-Large) and Phil Mendelson (At-Large) were present at the meeting, and both expressed concern over the bill. Catania in particular voiced opposition to the bill, which he said adds further bureaucracy to the DC government and would have no affect on prostitution, which he said is not a priority for him regardless. Though we at Different Avenues are still researching the possible impact of the bill, we are encouraging friends and supporters to learn about this legislation and how it may impact our efforts to support people leading healthier lives, and having their rights respected. A summary of the bill follows, and we hope to provide updates in the future. If you are anyone you know will be affected by the bill, please let us know what you think. We have obtained a copy of the legislation and transcripts of testimony from the first hearing. |
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| What you can do: |
| Keep in mind, the most effective way to contact your councilmember is an original letter. But, if you don’t have enough time to write a letter, calling your councilmember is a quick and easy way to have impact on fighting these bills. The following is a sample script for making a call. When you call, they will normally let you say your piece without interrupting, so if you are uncomfortable/nervous, you can read from here. Even if you don’t want to say all this you can simply call and you oppose the bill without an explanation. Any call is helpful. |
| “Hi. My name is ____________. I am a resident of Ward __. I am calling concerning two proposed bills in the District. First, the Omnibus Public Safety Act. This bill will push at risk communities further into the shadows making public health and safety work funded by the DC government difficult and ineffective—increasing violence and the incidence of HIV and STDs in the district. It will also likely lead to violation of constitutional rights of not only sex worker, or prostitutes, but homeless, youth, and other communities as well. Second, I oppose the Prostitution-related Nuisance Abatement Amendment Act because, like the Omnibus Act, it will increase the invisibility of at-risk, hard to reach populations and undermine health and safety efforts that fight to decrease violence and incidence of HIV and STDs. This bill will also disproportionately affect the immigrant population. Thank you.” |
| Bills opposed by Alliance for a Safe & Diverse DC:
Omnibus Public Safety Act of 2005, B16-247, particularly Title XX and Title XXI (which allow for the creation of prostitution-free zones) Prostitution-related Nuisance Abatement Act of 2005, B16-80 |
| You could join us at our meetings, help spread the word, testify at the public hearing, or call your council members to tell them what you think of the bill. |
| Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Jim Graham, Chairperson (202) 724-8181 jim@grahamwone.com Sharon Ambrose 202-724-8072 sambrose@dccouncil.us Kwame R. Brown 202-724-8174 kbrown@dccouncil.us David A. Catania (202) 724-7772 Adrian Fenty (202) 724-8052 afenty@dccouncil.us |