Convention Center Dedicated Employee Amendment Act of 2026

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March 23, 2026

Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Secretary Howard:

Today, alongside Councilmember Christina Henderson, I am introducing the “Convention Center
Dedicated Employee Amendment Act of 2026”. Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.

Events DC operates the Washington Convention Center and contracts with food service operators to
provide food and beverage services for conventions and events. Experienced food and beverage
employees are critical to the success of the events held at the Convention Center, and they are the
face of District hospitality to residents and visitors alike.

Food service workers at the Washington Convention Center , including cooks, banquet servers,
cashiers, and dishwashers, are hourly employees who rely on earning money during the busy season
to support themselves and their families year -round. To make ends meet, they need the ability to
work overtime when work is available so they can sustain themselves during the slow periods.

Currently, permanent employees of the food service operator at the Washington Convention Center
are not offered overtime. Instead, temporary workers, who are frequently paid a lower wage and do
not have medical insurance or other benefits, are brought in to cover extra work. At times, temporary
workers are even scheduled to work more hours than permanent employees. This practice undercuts
the wages and benefits that permanent workers have earned and deserve.

This legislation would require Events DC , with respect to temporary workers at the Washington
Convention Center, to prohibit any food and beverage operator from limiting overtime hours that
permanent employees may work and to restrict the use of temporary workers to bona fide
emergencies. With these changes, permanent food and beverage employees who have years of
service and experience at the Washington Convention Center would have the ability to work and thus
earn enough to support their families in DC.

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Please feel free to reach out to me or my Legislative Director, Antonio Nunes, with any questions or
for additional information.

Sincerely,

Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 6
Chair, Committee on Transportation & the Environment

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Councilmember Christina Henderson Councilmember Charles Allen 2
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A BILL 6
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
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To amend Title II of the Washington Convention Center Authority Act of 1994 to require the 16
Washington Convention and Sports Authority to maintain a policy with respect to the use 17
of temporary employees at the new convention center. 18
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 20
act may be cited as the “Convention Center Dedicated Employee Amendment Act of 2026”. 21
Sec. 2. Title II of the Washington Convention Center Authority Act of 1994, effective 22
September 28, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-188; D.C. Official Code § 10-1201.01 et seq.), is amended by 23
adding a new section 203c to read as follows: 24
“Sec. 203c. Use of temporary employees. 25
“(a) The Authority shall prohibit any food and beverage service operator from: 26
“(1) Using temporary employees for the provision of food and beverage services 27
at the new convention center unless: 28
“(A) A bona fide unexpected emergency occurs that precludes adequate 29
staffing with permanent employees for a particular event; or 30
“(B) Necessary t o fulfill a contract for the provision of temporary 31
employees existing upon the effective date of th e Convention Center Dedicated Employee 32
Amendment Act of 2026 (Introduced version of B26 -____) with terms that preclude 33

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cancellation, but only for the remaining duration of such contract, without extensions or 34
amendments, or 30 days, whichever is less; 35
“(2) Maintaining a cap or limit on the number of overtime hours that a permanent 36
employee providing food and beverage service at the new convention center may work; and 37
“(3) Maintaining a policy or rule prohibiting the hiring of employees who provide 38
food and beverage service at other venues in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that the 39
food and beverage service operator manages or operates, or otherwise discriminating against 40
such employees in hiring or employment practices at the new convention center. 41
“(b) The Authority shall include the prohibitions described in subsection (a) of this 42
section in an express term of any new, renewed, amended, or extended agreement for food and 43
beverage service operations at the new convention center. 44
“(c) For the purposes of this section, a “temporary employee” includes a casual 45
employee, seasonal employee, relief employee, limited -term employee, per diem employee, or 46
any other employee who has not been hired for a permanent position.”. 47
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 48
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 49
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 50
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 51
Sec. 4. Effective date. 52
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 53
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 54
provided in section 602(c)( 1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 55

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24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1 -206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 56
Columbia Register. 57