Child Fatality Review Committee Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Children

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Parker
Last action: 2025-05-16
Official status: Approved
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Emergency Change for Child Fatality Review Committee

This resolution declares an emergency to change the composition of the Child Fatality Review Committee (CFRC) so that the Councilmember and staff overseeing the Child and Family Services Agency can attend all CFRC-related meetings.

What This Bill Does

Declares an emergency situation for changing how the Child Fatality Review Committee works.
Allows the Councilmember and committee staff who oversee the Child and Family Services Agency to attend all CFRC-related meetings.

Who It Names or Affects

The members of the Child Fatality Review Committee
Councilmember and staff overseeing the Child and Family Services Agency

Terms To Know

Child Fatality Review Committee (CFRC): A group that looks into why children die in the District of Columbia.
Emergency legislation: Special laws made quickly to deal with urgent situations.

Limits and Unknowns

The resolution does not specify how long this emergency change will last.
It is unclear what happens if the situation changes and the emergency no longer exists.

Bill History

2025-05-16 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Resolution R26-0114, Effective from May 06, 2025 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 005865
2025-05-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Retained by the Council
2025-05-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Legislative Meeting
2025-05-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Approved with Resolution Number R26-0114
2025-05-01 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
PR26-0187 Introduced by Councilmember Parker at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Child Fatality Review Committee Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

A RESOLUTION

26-114

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

May 6, 2025

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Child Fatality
Review Committee Establishment Act of 2001 to revise the composition of the Child
Fatality Review Committee to include the relevant committee within the Council that has
oversight over the Child and Family Services Agency.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Child Fatality Review Committee Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2025”.

Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to revise the composition of the Child Fatality
Review Committee (“CFRC”) so that the Councilmember and committee staff who oversee the
Child and Family Services Agency (“CFSA”) may begin to attend and have access to all CFRC-
related meetings and work product. In January 2025, the Committee on Youth Affairs was
established in the Council Period 26 Rules. In its establishment, the Committee on Youth Affairs
was granted oversight of CFSA and all matters related to it. Previously, in Council Period 25, the
Committee on Facilities and Family Services, in their oversight capacity of CFSA, attended all
meetings and had access to work product related to the CFRC even though the Committee did
not have a formal right to such access. At the onset of Council Period 26, the Committee on
Youth Affairs attempted to formally join the CFRC, as the new committee designated with
oversight of CFSA; however, the Committee on Youth Affairs was informed that this request
would not be accommodated without changes to the law. As a result, the Committee on Youth
Affairs has been unable to access any CFRC meetings or materials, which is necessary for its
oversight of CFSA and youth in the District.
(b) Emergency legislation is needed to immediately grant the Committee on Youth
Affairs the proper authority to join the CFRC so that the Committee can continue to properly
execute its Council-assigned oversight responsibilities.

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances, making it necessary that the Child
Fatality Review Committee Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be adopted after a single
reading.

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.