July Newsletter

I hope that you had a wonderful time celebrating the Fourth of July with friends and family.  I had the pleasure of marching in the Palisades 43rd Annual July 4th Parade.  This is one of my favorite events of the year because so many members of the community come out to celebrate together.  I am already looking forward to next year’s parade.

In addition to the parade, June has been a busy month in the Ward.  I was able to host two "Chat with Cheh" meetings this month—one at the Firehook Bakery in Cleveland Park and one at the New Morning Farmers Market.  Not only do I look forward to these meetings because they give me the opportunity to see and help my neighbors face-to-face, but I was also pleased to hold these events with local businesses who help keep our neighborhood vibrant.  And it was good to see many of you at the Friendship/Turtle Park Sports Day & Ice Cream Social on Saturday, June 28th.  Everyone had an enjoyable time, especially the kids.  They enjoyed free sports clinics, martial-arts lessons, live music, and—perhaps most importantly—free ice cream from Gifford's! 

On June 2nd, I hosted a Ward 3 Education Forum at Murch Elementary School.  State Superintendent of Education Debra Gist, and our two State Board of Education members, Laura Slover and Sekou Biddle, also participated in the forum.  Residents, teachers, students, and administrators came together to reflect on the changes that have occurred since the mayoral takeover and to consider future steps that will continue to improve our public schools, both in Ward 3 and city-wide.  Parents raised issues such as foreign language requirements and funding for elementary school teaching aides.  Overall, I hope that this productive discussion frames and sets the tone for future conversations.

Here in the Wilson Building, the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs has voted to initiate an investigation of CareFirst/BlueCross BlueShield (GHMSI).  As Chairperson of the Committee, the resolution empowers me to issue subpoenas in order to secure testimony and documents necessary to the investigation.    This investigation was prompted because questions have been raised about whether GHMSI is currently fulfilling its federal charter.  GHMSI’s federal charter requires that the organization conduct itself as a “charitable and benevolent institution.”  Contrary to that language, GHMSI has to date accumulated more than $745 million in surplus funds.  And, at the same time that rates have been rising, GHMSI’s parent company CareFirst provided an $18 million parting severance to its former CEO, William Jews.  That compensation is currently under investigation by the State of Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner.  My investigation will seek to determine why a “charitable and benevolent institution” would need to maintain such massive financial reserves, why the former CareFirst CEO was compensated $18 million, and whether GHMSI is fulfilling its legal obligations to the public.

There are also three pieces of my legislation that I want to tell you about.

First, the Council recently passed, on first reading, an overhaul of the District’s animal welfare laws.  The legislation has been long in the making, beginning as a research project that I led with a group of law students from the George Washington University Law School. The bill seeks to protect animals on multiple fronts.  Among other things, the bill makes attending a dog fight a felony; it creates cross-reporting measures for animal and child abuse; it authorizes courts to order an individual found guilty of animal cruelty to undergo counseling; it adds animal cruelty as grounds for a protective order; and it prohibits the removal of impounded animals from the District for research, experimentation, testing, or medical instruction.  Passed unanimously on first reading, this legislation could serve as a national model for animal welfare laws.

Second, in order to reduce the District’s reliance on polluting energy sources, I introduced the “Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2007.”  The legislation will establish a sustainable energy utility that will be charged with reducing the city’s energy use, especially during times of peak demand when electricity generation is the most expensive and most polluting.  The utility will also be responsible for both training District residents to perform green-collar jobs and for helping low-income residents reduce their bills through energy efficiency. The bill seeks to combine mandates and market incentives that will help us to reduce energy costs for all District residents, while at the same time minimizing our collective carbon footprint.  Furthermore, this legislation will reduce our reliance on polluting forms of energy production, thereby protecting the health of District residents, both now and in the future.

Third, the Council recently passed the “Heat Wave Safety Emergency Amendment Act of 2008.”  We have already had some very hot days in the city this summer.  For some, the heat can transcend discomfort and become a health hazard.  My legislation will prevent utility companies from shutting off the electricity to customers when the heat index is forecasted to be 95 degrees or hotter.  This legislation is similar to a provision in the "Utility Consumer Bill of Rights" that prevents the cutoff of electricity when the temperature drops below the freezing point.  Studies have shown that people are at a greater risk from extreme heat than extreme cold, and the District has an obligation to protect its citizens from dangerous temperatures.

If you have any questions on these or any other matters, please contact my office at mcheh@dccouncil.us or (202) 724-8062. 

Mary M. Cheh