Since becoming a Councilmember in 2001, Adrian Fenty has earned a series of substantive legislative accomplishments, including the following:

* Fenty led his colleagues in introducing and adopting the School Modernization Financing Act of 2005, which was passed by the Council on March 7.  The act dedicates stable, long-term funding to finance a comprehensive effort to rebuild and renovate school facilities citywide and requires the Board of Education to develop a Facilities Master Plan to guide modernizations. A  9-member Advisory Committee will provide advice and oversight to the construction effort. 

* In 2003, Fenty was one of two original introducers of legislation to ban smoking in nearly all indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants.  The legislation will protect workers and patrons from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, an environmental health hazard known to cause cancer.  In January 2006, the Council adopted a similar bill that will take full effect at the start of next year. 

* Fenty introduced the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Act of 2003, which established the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force, composed of developers, housing advocates, residents, and government representatives.  The Task Force has worked to develop long-term recommendations that would preserve the availability of housing for residents of all income levels.  The final report will be released in early 2006. 

* Fenty’s leadership and determination were essential in winning passage of the Homeless Services Reform Act of 2005.  The bill sets out the rights and responsibilities of homeless persons, shelter providers, and the District government; outlines procedures for grievance hearings in the event of a grievance; and establishes the Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate hypothermia planning and citywide programs.  Previous attempts to pass the legislation, originally introduced by Councilmember Sandy Allen in 2003, stalled because of a long-running dispute over its fiscal impact statement.  Fenty led 9 Councilmembers in re-introducing the act in February 2005 and moved it through the Committee on Human Services the following spring.  Fenty secured adequate funding for the bill through the budget process and worked with the Executive Branch to address some of its specific concerns.  The Council unanimously gave final approval to the bill on July 6.  Mayor Williams signed the bill on August 3, 2005, after threatening to veto the bill earlier in the day. 

* Fenty guided through the Committee on Human Services and the Council a bill establishing a first-in-the-nation pilot program to provide financial support to low-income grandparents caring for their grandchildren.  Fenty also moved through the Committee legislation authorizing the District to provide protective services to adults who cannot care for themselves.

 * Fenty successfully worked through the budget process to increase funding in 2006 for programs serving people in need.  Fenty worked to fund a $15 million increase over the Mayor’s proposed budget for the Subsidized Childcare Program for low-income families, an additional $5.2 million for services to homeless residents, and a $500,000 increase in direct funding to community-based organizations serving children.  In addition, Fenty led the full Council in reserving additional FY 2006 local revenues to restore federal cuts in affordable housing for low and very-low income residents, to enhance funding for emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence, to expand substance abuse treatment and prevention, and to expand family support services focused on prevention of child abuse and neglect.

*  Fenty successfully moved an amendment to restore full funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund in FY 2004 and beyond.  Fenty’s amendment to the Housing Act of 2002 targeted the Fund towards the creation of affordable housing for low- and very low-income households.  Along with Councilmembers Mendelson and Graham, Fenty introduced legislation closing the 95-5 loophole that allowed developers to evade tenants’ rights to purchase their buildings.  The bill moved through the Council in Spring 2005 and will become law in late July.

*  In 2004, the Council enacted several provisions originally proposed by Fenty in legislation based on the policy recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform.  Among these provisions was a mandate to build a new, rehabilitation-oriented facility for committed youth who must be held in secure confinement; the construction of this facility will allow the District to close the crumbling Oak Hill Youth Center within four years.

*  With cointroducers Graham and Patterson, Fenty pushed for the Public Safety Crisis Emergency Act of 2003, which required MPD to evaluate its PSA system and led to a substantial revision of PSA boundaries and deployment plans.  With Councilmember Patterson, Fenty introduced the Identity Theft Amendment Act of 2003, which established identity theft as a criminal offense.

*  Fenty introduced the first bill to remove the troubled Youth Services Administration from DHS and establish it as a cabinet-level department, as recommended by the Office of the Inspector General.  In 2005, Fenty guided through the Council the nomination of Vincent Schiraldi, a nationally recognized juvenile justice expert, as the Director of the new Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. 

* Fenty’s amendment to the Neighborhood Investment Act of 2004 created the Brightwood/Upper Georgia Avenue Tax Increment Financing District, the largest of the 12 TIF districts established by the law.  Fenty has moved amendments through the budget to support economic development on Georgia Avenue, including funding for a storefront improvement program and site acquisition funds for NCRC and the Georgia Avenue Gateway CDC.

*  Fenty shepherded through the Council a Request for Proposals for a major housing and retail development project at the Petworth Metro site.  In addition, Fenty advocated the Takoma Central District Plan Approval Resolution of 2002, which has provided a framework for several recent and future housing and retail developments around the Takoma Metro station. 

* The Continuing Care Retirement Communities Act of 2004, introduced by Fenty and approved by the Council, establishes for the first time licensing and operating standards for continuing care facilities in the District.  In addition, the Prostate Cancer Screening Insurance Coverage Requirement Act of 2002 requires health insurance companies to pay for their patients' prostate cancer screening.