Breakfast links: DC Council passes initial legislation to increase taxes on residents who earn $250,000 or more a year
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The Wilson Building in DC by Adam Fagen licensed under Creative Commons.
New tax increase on high-income Washingtonians gets first approval
The DC Council passed a new tax increase on residents who make at least $250,000 a year, but a second vote is needed to confirm it into law. The revenue from the new tax would go towards funding 2,400 new housing vouchers, early childhood education programs, and a monthly stipend for some families. (Mitch Ryals / City Paper)
Maryland adds bus lanes to highway expansion project
MDOT announced it would include bus lanes in the design plan for the expansion of I-270 as the project goes before the Transportation Planning Board for a vote that could restore federal funding. The bus lanes could connect the Metro in Rockville and the MARC in Gaithersburg, or be part of a Rockville Pike BRT. (Katherine Shaver / Post)
Arlington votes to add more affordable housing
The Arlington County Board approved a renovation of the 293 units at the Park Shirlington apartments along with rent assistance to offset increases after renovations. The board also formally approved a 40 acre donation from Amazon which will be the site of an estimated 550 new housing units. (Jo DeVoe / ARL Now)
Virginia explores having drivers pay by mile
The Virginia DMV is exploring options to add a mileage-based user fee program by summer 2022 to fund highways and infrastructure. The program would be a voluntary opt-in for drivers, instead of paying the state’s mandatory highway user fee. (David Taube / Reston Now)
DC inmates nationwide report lack of care
In a 2020 survey of DC inmates, who often serve their prison sentences in facilities around the country, 37% had not been able to get adequate medical care in the last 60 days, and 80% had not been tested for COVID-19. (Justin Moyer / Post)
Prince George’s settles a racial discrimination lawsuit
The county reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Officers Association alleging that Black and brown police officers were discriminated against at work. The county instituted new disciplinary policies in the police force and paid $2.3 million to the group of plaintiffs. (Hannah Gaskill / Maryland Matters)
Smart City coming to Northern Virginia
AT&T and JBG Smith announced that National Landing will be fully covered by a 5G network, allowing for better internet connectivity for workers and residents, and enabling future “smart” innovations that could connect sensors to monitor anything from traffic to air quality. (Linda Poon / CityLab)
Does research support Virginia’s sassy road signs?
Virginia’s been testing creative road safety messages with puns, jokes, and wordplay. A Virginia Tech research team found that people did pay more attention to funny and referential messages, but unfortunately, the state’s car crashes and road deaths have increased with the national trend over the last year regardless. (Jordan Pascale / DCist)
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