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SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES AND YOUTH AFFAIRS

On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the Council voted to dissolve the Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs (RLYA), and create two new subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Recreation and Community Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Libraries and Youth Affairs. Councilmember Parker was appointed Chair of the Subcommittee on Libraries and Youth Affairs. You can view his press release on the appointment here. On this page, you will find links to watch hearings, tools for submitting testimony, and updates on the work of the committee.

Agencies Under This Committee:

  • Board of Library Trustees
  • Commission on African Affairs
  • Commission on African American Affairs
  • Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services
  • District of Columbia Public Library System
  • District of Columbia Public Library Trust Fund
  • Juvenile Abscondence Review Committee
  • Office of East of the River Services
  • Office on African Affairs
  • Office on African American Affairs
  • Serve DC

upcoming hearings

The Subcommittee on Libraries and Youth Affairs will be conducting an oversight roundtable and a public hearing on the Department of Youth Rehavilitative Services (DYRS) to establish a baseline understanding of the agency’s performance and opportunities for improvement. The oversight roundtable will be with government witnesses only on November 18. The public hearing, held four days later on November 22, will provide an opportunity for public witnesses to digest and react to the testimony offered by DYRS, as well as to offer independent observations about the agency’s performance.

Topics of interest to the subcommittee will include:

    • overall agency structure, staffing, budgeting, and policies;
    • case management, especially preparations for commitment and reentry;
    • quality assurance, especially fidelity to screening tools and/or needs assessments;
    • staff onboarding, training, and coaching;
    • services provided to youth in the care of DYRS at the Youth Services Center and New Beginnings;
    • oversight of community-based and out-of-state placements; and
    • challenges coordinating or interfacing with other agencies, including the Department of Behavioral Health, the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, and the Family Court Social Services Division of the District of Columbia Courts.

Both the roundtable and the public hearing will aid in the Subcommittee’s oversight of one the District’s most consequential agencies.

  • Roundtable (Government Witnesses Only)
    • Monday, November 18, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
    • Watch live on the Councilmember’s YouTube channel here, or on the Council’s website here.
  • Public Hearing (Public Witnesses)
    • Friday, November 22, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
    • Sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony here.
    • Written testimony will be accepted here until the record closes at 5:00 p.m. on December 6, 2024.

past hearings

  • October 31, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. – Markup
    • PR25-0893 – Board of Library Trustees Roswell Encina Confirmation Resolution of 2024
    • PR25-0894 – Board of Library Trustees Shanel Anthony Confirmation Resolution of 2024
    • Access recording here.

  • October 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. – Public Roundtable: 
    • PR25-0893 – Board of Library Trustees Roswell Encina Confirmation Resolution of 2024
    • PR25-0894 – Board of Library Trustees Shanel Anthony Confirmation Resolution of 2024
    • View the full hearing notice here.
      • Written testimony will be accepted until the record closes at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
    • Access recording here.

Councilmember Parker’s Committee Assignments

In addition to serving as Chair of the Subcommittee on Libraries and Youth Affairs, Councilmember Parker is a member of the following committees:

Facilities and Family Services

Chaired by Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4). Learn more and view key staff here. Agencies under this committee include:

  • Advisory Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Child and Family Services Agency
  • Citizen Review Panel on Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Commission on Persons with Disabilities
  • Commission on Poverty
  • Department of Buildings
  • Department of General Services
  • Department on Disability Services
  • Developmental Disabilities State Planning Council
  • Office for the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing
  • Office of Disability Rights
  • Office of the Ombudsperson for Children
  • State Rehabilitation Council
  • Statewide Independent Living Council

Health

Chaired by Councilmember Christina Henderson (At-Large). Learn more and view key staff here. Agencies under this committee include:

  • Advisory Committee on Acupuncture
  • Advisory Committee on Anesthesiologist Assistants
  • Advisory Committee on Clinical Laboratory Practitioners
  • Advisory Committee on Naturopathic Medicine
  • Advisory Committee on Physician Assistants
  • Advisory Committee on Polysomnography
  • Advisory Committee on Surgical Assistants
  • Board of Allied Health
  • Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
  • Board of Behavioral Health
  • Board of Chiropractic
  • Board of Dentistry
  • Board of Dietetics and Nutrition
  • Board of Long-Term Care Administration
  • Board of Marriage and Family Therapy
  • Board of Massage Therapy
  • Board of Medicine
  • Board of Nursing
  • Board of Occupational Therapy
  • Board of Optometry
  • Board of Pharmacy
  • Board of Physical Therapy
  • Board of Podiatry
  • Board of Professional Counseling
  • Board of Psychology
  • Board of Respiratory Care
  • Board of Social Work
  • Board of Veterinary Medicine
  • Cedar Hill Hospital on the St. Elizabeth’s campus
  • Commission on Health Disparities
  • Commission on Health Equity
  • Commission on HIV/AIDS
  • Committee on Metabolic Disorders
  • Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Nutrition
  • Department of Behavioral Health
  • Department of Health
  • Department of Health Care Finance
  • District of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange Authority
  • Food Policy Council
  • Health Information Exchange Policy Board
  • Health Literacy Council
  • Medicaid Reserve
  • Mental Health Planning Council
  • Metropolitan Washington Regional Ryan White Planning Council
  • Not-For-Profit Hospital Corporation
  • Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
  • Perinatal and Infant Health Advisory Committee
  • Statewide Health Coordinating Council

Hospital and Health Equity

Chaired by Councilmember Vincent Gray (Ward 7). Learn more and view key staff here. Agencies under this committee include:

  • Cedar Hill Hospital on the St. Elizabeth’s campus
  • Commission on Health Disparities
  • Commission on Health Equity
  • Department of Health Care Finance
  • Not-For-Profit Hospital Corporation
  • Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

Housing

Chaired by Councilmember Robert White (At-Large). Learn more and view key staff here. Agencies under this committee include:

  • Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
  • Board of Real Estate Appraisers
  • Condominium Association Advisory Council
  • Commission on Re-Entry and Returning Citizen Affairs
  • Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Department of Human Services
  • District of Columbia Housing Authority
  • Housing and Community Development Reform Commission
  • Housing Finance Agency
  • Housing Production Trust Fund
  • Interagency Council on Homelessness
  • Office on Returning Citizen Affairs
  • Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
  • Office of the Tenant Advocate
  • Office-to-Affordable-Housing Task Force
  • Real Estate Commission
  • Rental Housing Commission

Transportation and the Environment

Chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6). Learn more and view key staff here. Agencies under this committee include: 

  • Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency
  • Department of Energy and Environment
  • Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, shared jointly with the Committee on Public Works and Operations
  • District Department of Transportation
  • District of Columbia Bicycle Advisory Council
  • District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority
  • Green Buildings Advisory Council
  • Green Finance Authority
  • Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River
  • Major Crash Review Task Force
  • Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council
  • Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure
  • Pedestrian Advisory Council
  • Public Space Committee
  • Recreational Trails Advisory Committee
  • Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Streetcar Financing and Governance Task Force
  • Sustainable Energy Utility Advisory Board
  • Transit Rider Advisory Council
  • Urban Forestry Advisory Council
  • Washington Aqueduct
  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
  • Washington Metrorail Safety Commission