Posts tagged Law
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This proposed law could help DC tenants facing eviction fight back against dishonest landlords
The DC Council is back from its summer recess, and members are weighing legislation intended to strengthen tenant protections against illegal eviction. Keep reading…
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DC & Washington Gas both agree we need to stop burning gas. What’s next?
The clean energy law going into effect this year in DC requires the District’s electricity mix to be 100% clean by 2032, it sets strong energy efficiency requirements for buildings and calls for DC to transition away from gasoline-fueled transportation. But the law is silent on the source of nearly one-fifth of DC’s greenhouse gas emissions: methane gas. Keep reading…
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Eight ways the law incentivizes driving
Automobile supremacy has been written into the legal fabric of the United States for the past century, as government and industry leaders choked public transit and encouraged personal automobiles instead. Recently, University of Iowa law professor Greg Shill wrote a paper detailing how US law subsidizes driving. Keep reading…
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Why “people biking need to follow the law more” is bad safety advice
When issues of bicycle and pedestrian safety come up, it's common for many people, including well-meaning ones, to suggest those road users ought to “follow the law” more. Some of those comments arose again after the deaths of Dave Salovesh and Abdul Seck, even though both were innocent bystanders while their killers were evidently breaking laws themselves. Keep reading…
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Virginia just passed a law that removes a barrier to building more housing
While the public attention has been focused on his high-profile blackface scandal, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam quietly signed an important housing law on February 21. SB1373 will have a direct impact all over Virginia on the cost and availability of a house, the average person's biggest and most important purchase. Keep reading…
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Is 18 months in jail for killing a cyclist lenient or not?
Phillip Peoples, driving his car at 12th Street and Constitution Avenue NW on September 24, killed Thomas Hollowell who was on a bicycle. Peoples was sentenced to 18 months in prison last month. Should the sentence have been more, or less? Keep reading…
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Soon Montgomery County renters could get greater protection from eviction
A Montgomery County delegate has just submitted a bill that would prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a good reason. That's good news for the approximately one third of county residents who are renters. Keep reading…
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Myth busting: DC Home Rule prohibits a “commuter tax,” but that’s not why we don’t have congestion pricing
Why aren't there tolls on the Potomac River bridges? Why doesn't DC have a congestion charge to drive downtown, like London does or New York has considered? Is it because the Home Rule Act prohibits a “commuter tax?” It's a common argument, but isn't the reason. Keep reading…
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How many homes are currently stuck in DC courts?
Right now in DC there are thousands of homes and hundreds of affordable homes stuck in the courts. Numerous recent lawsuits challenging approved Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) are winding their way through the DC Court of Appeals. Keep reading…
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Maryland passes a bill to protect transit from non-compete clauses
The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill this week that will free state-funded transit projects from the threat of non-compete clauses in state contracts with private toll lane operators. This is a win for investment in transit. Keep reading…