This temporary act makes several changes to how DC Water handles billing, late fees, disconnections, and notice requirements. It adds the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority to the Language Access Act as a covered entity with major public contact, which means the agency must provide language access services consistent with that law. The bill also clarifies that DC Water may impose a late charge of up to 10% on bills unpaid for more than 30 days and a 1% monthly compounded penalty on amounts unpaid for more than 60 days.
The measure revises the District of Columbia Public Works Act to authorize water shutoffs for nonpayment after 30 days and to prohibit unauthorized restoration of service after a shutoff. It also requires DC Water to submit monthly reports to the Council, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of the Tenant Advocate detailing notices of disconnection, actual shutoffs, restorations, payment plans, tenant-assumed payments, and receiverships. In addition, it updates D.C. regulations to require 30 working days’ notice before termination, expand notice from “tenants” to “occupants,” and require notices in English, Spanish, or another language reasonably determined to be spoken at the property.
The bill’s impact is primarily on DC Water’s operational rules and on the rights of property occupants facing water service disconnection. It amends multiple provisions of the D.C. Code and municipal regulations, and it applies the late-fee clarification retroactively to April 18, 1996. Because it is a temporary act, it expires after 225 days, but during that period it changes billing enforcement, reporting obligations, and notice procedures for water and sewer service delinquency.
The overall sentiment appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill passed first reading and final reading unanimously, 12-0 on both occasions, indicating broad Council agreement. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, but the voting record suggests the measure was viewed as a practical clarification and consumer-protection update rather than a contested policy change.
There is little visible contention in the available record. The main policy tension inherent in the bill is between DC Water’s ability to collect unpaid charges and the protections afforded to residents, tenants, and other occupants through longer notice periods, multilingual notices, and enhanced reporting to oversight bodies. The bill also addresses who may be affected by shutoffs in multi-unit and common-interest properties, including tenants, owners, condominium associations, and community associations.
The bill amends the Language Access Act, the Water and Sewer Authority Establishment and Department of Public Works Reorganization Act, the District of Columbia Public Works Act, and D.C. municipal regulations governing water service disconnections. It expands language-access coverage to DC Water, clarifies late-payment charges and penalties, requires monthly disconnection reporting to oversight offices, and strengthens notice requirements before water and sewer service termination. The act is temporary and expires after 225 days, though one fee-related provision is made applicable retroactively to 1996.
The bill appears to have broad, bipartisan-like consensus within the Council, as reflected by unanimous 12-0 votes at both first reading and final reading. The absence of recorded opposition or committee controversy suggests the measure was treated as a technical but important clarification affecting billing, notice, and consumer protections for water service customers and occupants.
No major opposition is evident in the available materials. The only likely areas of policy tension are the balance between DC Water’s collection authority and protections for residents facing shutoff, and the expanded reporting and multilingual notice obligations imposed on the Authority. The bill also broadens notice protections from tenants alone to all occupants, which may reflect concern about owners, renters, and other residents in delinquent properties.