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B26-0401 • 2025

Youth Records Transparency and Oversight Amendment Act of 2025

Youth Records Transparency and Oversight Amendment Act of 2025

Children
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Parker
Last action
2026-01-27
Official status
Under Council Review
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the bill is under Council Review and has not yet been enacted; therefore, it does not currently change existing law.

Youth Records Transparency and Oversight Amendment Act of 2025

This bill amends D.C. law to allow specific Council committee chairs, their designees, and the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children to access youth case records when necessary for official oversight duties.

What This Bill Does

  • Amends Chapter 23 of Title 16 of the D.C. Official Code regarding record access.
  • Allows the Chair of the Council Committee overseeing the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and their designees to view delinquency or need of supervision records when necessary for official duties.
  • Permits the Chair of the Committee overseeing the Child and Family Services Agency and their designees to see neglect case records when necessary for official duties.
  • Grants the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children access to these youth records when necessary for its official duties.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Chairs of specific Council committees with oversight over youth agencies
  • Designees appointed by these committee chairs
  • The Office of the Ombudsperson for Children

Limits and Unknowns

  • Access is limited to times when it is necessary for the discharge of official duties.
  • The bill does not take effect until approved by the Mayor, reviewed by Congress for 30 days, and published in the D.C. Register.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-27 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Committee Mark-up of B26-0401 by the Youth Affairs Committee

  2. 2025-11-13 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Public Hearing on B26-0401 View Public Hearing Record

  3. 2025-10-24 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Public Hearing Published in the District of Columbia Register

  4. 2025-10-21 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Public Hearing filed in the Office of Secretary by Judiciary and Public Safety, Youth Affairs

  5. 2025-10-10 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0401 Published in the District of Columbia Register

  6. 2025-10-07 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Referred to Committee on Youth Affairs, and Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  7. 2025-10-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    B26-0401 Introduced by Councilmember Parker at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Youth Records Transparency and Oversight Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
COMMITTEE PRINT Committee on Youth Affairs B26-0401 January 27, 2026
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1 2 A BILL 3 4 _________________________ 5 6 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 7 8 _________________________ 9 10 To amend Chapter 23 of Title 16 of the D.C. Official Code to clarify juvenile case and social 11 records access provided to appropriate Council entities and the Office of the 12 Ombudsperson for Children for the purposes of enhancing oversight of the child welfare 13 and juvenile justice systems. 14 15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 16 Act may be cited as the "Youth Records Transparency and Oversight Amendment Act of 2025”. 17 Sec. 2. Chapter 23 of Title 16 of the D.C. Official Code as follows: 18 (a) Section 2331(c)(4) is amended by adding new subsubsections (H-J) to read as 19 follows: 20 “(H) In delinquency or need of supervision cases, the Chair of the Council Committee 21 with oversight over the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and their designee(s) when 22 necessary for the discharge of their official duties; 23 “(I) In neglect cases, the Chair of the Committee with oversight over the Child and 24 Family Services Agency and their designee(s) when necessary for the discharge of their official 25 duties; and 26 “(J) The Office of the Ombudsperson for Children when necessary for the discharge of its 27 official duties.”. 28 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 29 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 30
COMMITTEE PRINT Committee on Youth Affairs B26-0401 January 27, 2026
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impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 31 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 32 Sec. 4. Effective date. 33 This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 34 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 35 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 36 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 37 Columbia Register. 38