Ensuring Access and Supporting Engagement (EASE) for DOC residents Act of 2025

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

November 16, 2025
Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Howard,
Today, along with Councilmembers Anita Bonds , Brianne Nadeau, Christina Henderson, Robert
White, Charles Allen, Kenyan McDuffie, Janeese Lewis George, Wendell Felder, and Zachary
Parker, I am introducing the “Ensuring Access and Supporting Engagement ( “EASE”) for DOC
residents Act of 2025,” which would ensure that residents of D.C. Department of Corrections
(“DOC”) facilities are able to testify at D.C. Council hearings.
DC residents maintain their right to vote in local and federal elections regardless of incarceration
status.1 The exercise of this right has been successful; over 200 DOC residents voted in the 2024
DC Primary Election, and residents even elected their own Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner, ANC F708 , to represent those housed at the Central Detention Facility and
Correctional Treatment Facility.2
However, while DOC residents can now vote, they remain effectively excluded from another
fundamental aspect of democratic participation: directly engaging with their elected
representatives through Council hearings. The pandemic demonstrated that remote testimony
technology is both feasible and effective, and DOC already uses internet-connected tablets and
other technology to connect residents with outside providers and educators.3 Despite requests from
community advocates and from Councilmember Pinto dating back to at least May 2023, DOC
residents currently lack the ability to directly testify at Council hearings on matters that affect their
lives, their communities, and their families. 4 In response to advocacy efforts, the DOC Director
cited several barriers, including limited Wi- Fi connectivity, staffing constraints, and the position
that the ANC F708 Commissioner adequately represents residents' interests. 5 However, because
the technology already exists , t he Council has been accepting remote testimony since the

1 Restore the Vote Amendment Act of 2020, effective April 27, 2021 ( D.C. Law 23-277), available here.
2 District of Columbia Board of Elections, General Election 2024-Certified Results, available here.
3 Letter from Stacey Litner to Department of Corrections Director Thomas Faust and Members of the DC Council
(May 1, 2023), filed with the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, at 2.
4 Id.
5 Letter from DOC Director Thomas Faust to Stacey Litner and Members of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee
for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (June 18, 2024), filed with the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, at
2.

pandemic, and because DOC already uses tablets and other devices for resident communications,
DC residents should be able to participate in the legislative process.
Additionally, while the elected ANC Commissioner that represents DOC residents plays a valuable
role, the submission of testimony solely by the ANC Commissioner on behalf of DOC residents is
insufficient for several reasons:
1. Individual voices matter: No single elected representative, however dedicated, can
capture the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of hundreds of individual residents
on the range of issues the Council addresses.
2. Direct constituent engagement is a cornerstone of our democracy: DC residents outside
of DOC facilities can both vote for representatives and directly testify before the Council.
Incarcerated residents deserve the same dual pathways for civic participation.
3. Lived expertise is irreplaceable: People directly impacted by criminal justice policies,
housing initiatives, healthcare programs, and other Council matters possess invaluable
insights that inform better policymaking.
This legislation would affect the over 2,100 DC residents currently in DOC custody. 6 These
residents are disproportionately from communities of color, reflecting the racial disparities that
have long characterized our criminal justice system. They are parents, children, siblings, and
community members who maintain deep connections to DC neighborhoods across all eight wards.
Specifically, this legislation would:
• Codify the ability of DOC residents to testify before the DC Council and engage with their
ANC Commissioner;
• Require DOC to provide access to electronic devices and internet service for residents to
register as witnesses, submit written testimony, and provide oral testimony via video
conference at Council hearings;
• Mandate that DOC establish processes and policies to facilitate these civic engagement
opportunities, including providing educational materials about the legislative process,
residents' ability to participate, and how to contact their ANC Commissioner;
• Require DOC to provide multiple free communication methods with ANC Commissioners,
including video conferencing, electronic messaging, internal phone access, written
correspondence, and quarterly townhall-style walkthroughs of DOC facilities; and
• Eliminate cost barriers by providing no- cost methods for mailing testimony and
correspondence to the Council.
Voting rights without the ability to participate in the legislative process creates an incomplete
democratic process. Incarceration does not strip DC residents of their fundamental rights as
citizens; we must ensure they can engage with their government beyond the ballot box to provide
full democratic participation. In support of this effort, ANC7F passed a resolution on April 22,

6 DOC District of Columbia, D.C. DOC Official Population Counts by Facility, (as of Oct. 31, 2025), available here.

2025, urging the Council to enact legislation permitting testimony from DOC residents at Council
hearings.7
I urge my Colleagues to support this critical legislation, which represents a natural and necessary
extension of the District's commitment to full civic participation for all residents. Should you have
any questions about this legislation, please contact my Senior Legislative Policy Advisor, Anaiah
Mitchell, at amitchell@dccouncil.gov.
Thank you,

Brooke Pinto
Councilmember, Ward 2
Chairwoman, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety
Council of the District of Columbia

7 ANC7F08 Resolution, Resolution of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F08 Urging the Council of the District
of Columbia to Enact Legislation Permitting Testimony from Residents of the District of Columbia Department of
Corrections at Council Hearings (April 22, 2025).

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Councilmember Anita Bonds Councilmember Brooke Pinto 4
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Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Christina Henderson 8
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Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Charles Allen 12
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Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Janeese Lewis George 16
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Councilmember Wendell Felder Councilmember Zachary Parker 21
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A BILL 26
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 29
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To codify the ability of residents at Department of Corrections facilities to testify before the 33
Council of the District of Columbia; to ensure the ability for residents to engage with the 34
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner elected to represent them; to ensure access to 35
electronic devices and internet service for the purpose of allowing Residents to engage in 36
the council legislative process, provide testimony, and view and participate in hearings; 37
to require DOC to educational materials for distribution to residents regarding the 38
legislative process and how to testify before the Council; and to require an annual report 39
to the Mayor and Council regarding metrics and data on resident civic engagement. 40
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this Act 41
may be cited as the “Ensuring Access and Supporting Engagement (EASE) for DOC 42
residents Act of 2025”. 43
Sec. 2. Definitions. 44
For the purposes of this Act, the term: 45
(1) “ANC Commissioner” shall have the same meaning as provided in 738(a) of 46
the Home Rule Act of 1973, effective December 24, 1973 (Public Law 93-198; D.C. Official 47
Code § 1–207.38). 48
“(2) “Electronic device” means a device that enables access to, or use of, online 49
and internet communication services, including a telephone, tablet, or computer. 50
“(3) “Resident” means an individual who is incarcerated in the Central Detention 51
Facility, Correction Treatment Facility, or any other facility operated by the Department of 52
Corrections to house incarcerated individuals, except the Central Cell Block. 53
“(4) “Video conference” means conducting a conference between two or more 54
participants at different sites using computer networks to transmit audio and video data using 55
remote meeting technologies. 56
Sec. 3. Right to testify before the Council. 57
(a) DOC shall facilitate residents’ ability to observe public meetings of, and provide 58
interactive video and written testimony, to the Council of the District of Columbia. This Act 59
shall apply to all residents detained or incarcerated at the Central Detention Facility, the 60
Correctional Treatment Facility, and any other penal institution owned, operated, or controlled 61
by the Department of Corrections (“DOC”). Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a 62
private right of action. 63
(b) If a committee, in the publication of notice of a hearing or roundtable, sets a deadline 64
before which a person must contact the committee to be permitted to be a witness at the public 65
hearing, then at the time that the public hearing is held, each resident who complied with the 66
committee’s requirements shall be given an opportunity to testify. 67
(c) DOC shall promulgate policies and procedures to facilitate the opportunity of 68
residents to exercise the provisions under subsection (b), including providing alternative methods 69
to provide testimony if a person is unable to meet the provisions under this section. 70
Sec. 4. Access to Electronic Devices and Internet Service. 71
(a) DOC shall provide access to electronic devices and internet service for the purpose of 72
allowing residents to: 73
(1) Register in a timely manner as a public witness to orally testify, by way of 74
video conference, at a hearing, roundtable, or other public event of the Council; 75
(2) Submit written testimony to the Council before or after a hearing or 76
roundtable in which the resident will participate or participated as a public witness or for which 77
the resident wants to submit written testimony; and 78
(3) Provide oral testimony, by way of video conference, and answer questions 79
from councilmembers during any hearing for which they are scheduled to appear as a witness. 80
(b) DOC shall promulgate policies and procedures for residents to utilize electronic 81
devices and internet services and to provide interactive oral testimony by way of video 82
conference before the Council. 83
Sec. 5. Informing Residents of Right to Testify and Related Procedures. 84
(a) Residents shall be provided with informational and educational resources, including 85
how to access their ANC Commissioner and Councilmember, at the time they are transferred to 86
the Central Detention Facility, the Correctional Treatment Facility, or any other penal institution 87
owned, operated, or controlled by the Department of Corrections (“DOC”), except for the 88
Central Cell Block. 89
(b) DOC shall inform all residents of their right to testify before the Council and the 90
policies and procedures for doing so. 91
(1) DOC shall provide educational materials for distribution to residents 92
regarding: 93
(A) The legislative process; 94
(B) Residents’ right to participate in the legislative process; 95
(C) The policies and procedures for providing testimony at Council 96
hearings while in DOC custody; and 97
(D) Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (“ANCs”), the role of ANC 98
Commissioners, and how to contact the ANC Commissioner for the single-member district 99
encompassing the DOC facilities. 100
(2) DOC shall provide the materials developed pursuant to paragraph (1) to 101
residents upon intake, and after intake upon request, as well as make such materials readily 102
available in the law library and case manager offices and post in housing units in DOC facilities. 103
Sec. 6. Right to access ANC. 104
(a) All residents have the right to engagement with their ANC Commissioner. 105
(b) DOC shall provide residents access to the ANC Commissioner by: 106
(1) Providing all necessary materials, including phone numbers and access to 107
electronic devices and internet service, to residents free of charge for the purpose of 108
communicating with the ANC Commissioner; 109
(2) Establishing a process that provides the ANC Commissioner with the ability to 110
walk through the facilities to communicate and meet with all persons in their single-member 111
district, at least quarterly. 112
Sec. 7. Reduction of cost barriers. 113
DOC shall provide residents with a no-cost method for mailing written testimony to the 114
Council and corresponding with the Council incident to the provision of testimony. 115
Sec. 8. Tracking and Reporting. 116
(a) One year after the effective date of this Act, and annually thereafter, DOC shall 117
submit a report to the Mayor and Council regarding the following: 118
(1) To the extent known by DOC, the number of residents that sought to testify 119
before the Council or communicate with or meet with the ANC Commissioner but were denied 120
access by DOC, and the reasons for which their access was denied; 121
(2) Summaries of requests to staff and grievance reports related to civic 122
engagement; 123
(3) An analysis of this Act’s implementation and any identifiable challenges; and 124
(4) Any policy or legislative recommendations to ensure that all residents have 125
meaningful opportunities to participate in civic engagement with the Council and ANC. 126
(b) DOC shall publish quarterly reports on its website after the ANC Commissioner’s 127
quarterly walkthrough described in section 6(b)(2), including but not limited to: 128
(1) The date of the walkthrough; 129
(2) The time of the walkthrough; and 130
(3) Each facility and unit visited during the walkthrough. 131
Sec. 9. Fiscal impact statement. 132
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 133
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 134
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 135
Sec. 10. Effective date. 136
This Act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 137
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 138
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 139
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 140
Columbia Register. 141