[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6630393,"mediaKeyId","2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd","parentId",2696635,"title","D.C. committee weighs extending disabled-veteran homestead deduction to surviving spouses","audioSeconds",989,"startMs",4247000,"endMs",5236000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd&start=4247&end=5236","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd/thumbnail_4247000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6630393/DC-committee-weighs-extending-disabled-veteran-homestead-deduction-to-surviving-spouses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630393-a137e8544260a80dbeca2cf0a575f784/orig.mp4?Expires=1770860486&Signature=ndnaoUjSoQo1NiN~-1ddHJtHWzaz6bs075dgUhMWhyhRLPt9PGXuURgr3Glp~PO8xEM6EhU~4ZCLl2PZM0Rm97WM5ddEk2wjD~1SqOHLndsu3FX4psKhE8PdpNKZORmY8o14ROi-ZjE6xjRjBPlRVogcbVWpbcs0LGVSA8fCyhbCffssFlPWFckdiLw7x6L6Bhfcysf4uP4tV~bxYllrIG~tXn-LytksPJQG4sZJqwJc2qcyqSgNfT9dGgfHqjDdZ1itFMNl2VxjLU9E4txmdlU0HygZFqqwOEIIkg9ldO-bDTJ1tCzwuP9PsLgjCCjnoRNyvn7ejWiDviP6yoV4tg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","District of Columbia (Business and Economic Development)","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","The Committee on Business and Economic Development held a hearing March 19, 2025 on Bill B26-10, the Spousal Homestead Exemption Amendment Act of 2025, which would allow a surviving spouse or domestic partner of a veteran eligible for the District's disabled-veteran homestead deduction to claim that exemption after the veteran's death.

Supporters and witnesses told the committee the change would help families remain in their homes after a veteran's death and safeguard low- and moderate-income households from sudden property-tax increases. City counsel and OCFO staff raised questions about draft language and implementation timing.

Bonnie Roberts Burke, a member of the Public Policy Committee of the D.C. Association of Realtors (DCAR), testified in favor of the bill, calling it \"a modest expansion of the homestead exemption for veterans\" and saying the change \"will make an oversized difference for hundreds of district families potentially at risk of losing their homes.\" DCAR's testimony said the original deduction has had a limited fiscal impact and urged the council to consider the change even amid tight budgetary conditions.

Assistant General Counsel Basil Fiscina of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) said the bill \"contains a number of ambiguities\" and provided a suggested revised draft to improve clarity and administrability. He outlined the current statutory framework: effective Oct. 1, 2022, property owned and occupied by a veteran classified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as totally and permanently disabled (or at the 100% VA disability rating due to unemployability) may get a $445,000 reduction in assessed value, subject to owner-occupancy, ownership percentage, domicile and a household income limit (which witnesses cited as approximately $159,750 for tax year 2025). OCFO counsel said about 35 properties currently receive the deduction in D.C.

Committee members asked for details about potential retroactivity and administrative timing. OCFO counsel suggested that, for practical administration, it would be preferable to phase any change for tax year 2026 to allow time to prepare forms and processes. Fiscina also noted screening language to ensure the surviving spouse or partner benefits only when the veteran either was receiving the deduction at death or would have been eligible had they applied.

No vote was taken at the hearing. Committee members said they would request any additional fiscal analysis as part of the bill's progression and expect to work with OCFO to tighten language addressing eligibility, administration and the effective date so the policy could be implemented without creating unanticipated fiscal or administrative burdens.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","District of Columbia (Business and Economic Development) - Committee on Business & Economic Development, Public Hearing, Kenyan McDuffie, Chairperson - Mar 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Committee on Business and Economic Development heard testimony March 19, 2025, on Bill B26-10, the Spousal Homestead Exemption Amendment Act of 2025, which would allow a surviving spouse or domestic partner of a disabled veteran to claim the District's disabled-veteran homestead deduction after the veteran's death.","taxTitle","Committee on Business and Economic Development, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia","taxId",16178,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6630398,"D.C. hearing advances case for Paul E. Sloughby Sr. preservation fund to protect historic African American burial grounds",4150,97000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd&start=97&end=4247","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd/thumbnail_97000.jpg","/articles/6630398/DC-hearing-advances-case-for-Paul-E-Sloughby-Sr-preservation-fund-to-protect-historic-African-American-burial-grounds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630398-bbfe86cd5f60c922e409b23b44a95cf0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770860486&Signature=JlUrTndpfL3ef3hIGNImifzHLW6-~c~tkoZSrPPTmEc8n6H05zZylZD1isDHdDVX9I2w40KKOjl6eyStAXtzt666a~zC1YcIMsjK~AvbMmMhOoXYRHRHSTwu55DKPjepW4euJztDKNlOV8kymUeLPXXMIa5rHukGE81CiR7girqVVf15uNRDNulLCTTLSliPsaFhuo1xumxzXZwfBZDokb24FhMrDPHZkjGvQ8nKLJG7f4DbZjJWwx6AqGv702EOp4ppJaczotkTg4hXkSic1GVy279~d62TIps2c6y5C703m9cyeMTEN8myfAdT2A7mQogvln698jm5VqD1AHSeBg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on Business and Economic Development convened a public hearing March 19, 2025, in the John A. Wilson Building and by Zoom to receive testimony on Bill B26-20, the Historic African American Burial Grounds Preservation Fund Amendment Act of 2025, which would establish the Paul E. Sloughby Sr. Preservation Fund to pay for preservation, protection and maintenance of historic African American cemeteries and burial grounds in the District of Columbia.

Community members, historians and preservation officials urged passage and sustained funding, saying public appropriations, grants and donations should support sites that face erosion, flooding and decades of neglect.

Only four intact historic African American burial grounds remain in the District, witnesses said, and testimony at the hearing described conditions that speakers called urgent. Witnesses represented local preservation organizations, descendant-led volunteer groups and the D.C. Office of Planning. They recounted long familiarity with the sites, described archaeological and archival work, and pushed for a permanent funding stream and clear city stewardship.

Dr. Patricia Carter Sloughby, whose late husband Paul E. Sloughby Sr. is the bill's namesake, testified that her husband \"used all that was in his power to help protect those in peaceful sleep from being disturbed,\" and that his work documented burial grounds and genealogies across the District. Lisa Fager, executive director of the Black Georgetown Foundation, told the committee that naming a dedicated fund for Sloughby \"is not just fitting, it is necessary.\" She said Mount Zion and the Female Union Band Society cemeteries hold an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 interments and face damage from stormwater runoff that topples headstones and erodes burial plots.

Speakers described a range of local sites and histories. Antoinette White Richardson, president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, said Woodlawn Cemetery covers roughly 22.5 acres and contains approximately 36,000 burials; she said preservation costs are high, noting a 2022 estimate of $88,000 for professional landscaping and stabilization work. Multiple witnesses documented historic disinterments and relocations: Courtney Morris and others cited Columbia/Harmony, Paine's and Graceland cemeteries among the many cemeteries that were removed or relocated over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Volunteers and descendants stressed that long-term maintenance cannot rely on intermittent volunteer days. Susan Galbraith, Sheldon Ray and others described community-engagement projects, educational programming and arts-based efforts designed to connect residents and students to the sites. Mary Belcher, who works with the Walter Pierce Park archaeology project, described a multi-year effort that produced signage listing more than 8,400 names associated with Mount Pleasant Plains Cemetery and urged the committee to simplify grant rules so grassroots groups can apply.

David Maloney, State Historic Preservation Officer and Associate Director for Historic Preservation in the D.C. Office of Planning (OP), said OP \"fully support[s] the creation of this fund, but for the reasons I will explain, recommend that it be administered by OP, instead of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.\" Maloney told the committee that OP maintains an internal spreadsheet and GIS database of known and possible burial sites—he described roughly 319 known and possible burial sites in D.C.—and said OP staff have the archeological and historical expertise to oversee grants and stewardship.

Witnesses also raised procedural and legal concerns. Testimony described an instance in which Rock Creek Park work uncovered burial-related artifacts and, according to witnesses, proceeded without appropriate archaeological oversight until community members intervened. One witness referred to \"a federal law called Section 106\" for consultation and protection when federal undertakings affect historic properties. Several witnesses pressed the committee to require cultural competence and community notification when public or private projects might disturb burial places.

Committee members asked witnesses for clarifications: Dr. Sloughby and others confirmed that four intact historic African American burial grounds remain—Mount Zion Cemetery, the Female Union Band Society Cemetery, the Union Burial Ground of Georgetown, and Woodlawn Cemetery—and they described additional, less-intact or relocated sites beneath modern developments. Committee members and witnesses discussed whether OP or the Deputy Mayor's office should administer the fund and how to ensure grant accessibility for small community groups.

The hearing produced no formal council action; members invited written testimony through March 28, 2025. The committee will use the testimony and agency advice to consider bill language and administrative arrangements, including whether OP should administer the fund and how the grant process should be structured to serve grassroots stewards as well as larger institutions.

Given the historic and genealogical material at stake, witnesses urged a permanent, adequately funded program to address erosion, long-term maintenance, archaeological oversight and public education so the sites are not lost to development, weather and deferred care.

Witnesses (selected): Dr. Patricia Carter Sloughby, Lisa Fager (Executive Director, Black Georgetown Foundation), Erica Berg (D.C. resident/volunteer), Antoinette White Richardson (President, Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association), Susan Galbraith, Sheldon Ray, Courtney Morris, Mary Belcher (Walter Pierce Park Archaeology Project), Brenna Clark, Claire Harrison, David Maloney (State Historic Preservation Officer, D.C. Office of Planning).

The committee did not take a vote on B26-20 during the March 19 hearing; members asked for additional written materials and said they would consider clarifying language, administrative placement and grantmaking rules in later markup sessions.

","The Committee on Business and Economic Development convened a public hearing March 19, 2025, in the John A. Wilson Building and by Zoom to receive testimony on Bill B26-20, the Historic African American Burial Grounds Preservation Fund Amendment Act of 2025, which would establish the Paul E. Sloughby Sr. Preservation Fund to preserve, protect and maintain historic African American cemeteries and burial grounds in the District of Columbia.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":46,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6630388,"Committee hears bill to protect nonprofits from property taxes tied to solar installations amid concerns over breadth of exemption",2000,7236000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd&start=5236&end=7236","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2696635-3858e8b1109d3ce4761563bcecfb68cd/thumbnail_5236000.jpg","/articles/6630388/Committee-hears-bill-to-protect-nonprofits-from-property-taxes-tied-to-solar-installations-amid-concerns-over-breadth-of-exemption","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630388-2c340b4aa5770f8d03365ea653a8c0f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770860486&Signature=CPjo~D6L7-RRcqScDSQijrpb1VouxhCioglWDKJQbspSFbf5N23BaezPXZWu69eYbrDfVKptI4snX-eGkKxTSZx0aj-iRLWrwDRzDpaJJNws7TetnLY59-V9ARs2YS1nqaW408n3njnMOs2Y~gX-htk45YJCm49xT-Qzat5r34kg0u4lhjmlvRB-bpGFLv7yvSWj3a0BsPjfUeDJbfFjaBmIQ9rB6-YWdwy0EQjlPIICsBpUkL2E8C6QRLLRdDQJyMUz2QvvhlVtzOaeZKObr4ZnL-pTZIZgnfGJw4KvOq0gM1Ek1Iv2AUp054uGGu~UxYihAJGHi3Rd-3OreiLjJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on Business and Economic Development heard testimony March 19, 2025, on Bill B26-55, the Nonprofit Solar Tax Exemption Amendment Act of 2025, a measure that would amend D.C. law to prevent property tax assessments on tax-exempt buildings and grounds used for solar energy generation, energy storage, energy-management activities and electric-vehicle charging. The bill would also, as the chair stated during the hearing, not permit a nonprofit to sell excess power generated by the solar facilities.

Witnesses from charter schools, houses of worship, solar industry groups and solar installers described a recent Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) determination that treated a power-purchase-agreement (PPA) installation at a nonprofit school as a taxable commercial lease and produced a multi‑year tax bill. They said the ruling has frozen planned projects, threatened existing systems and unfairly penalized organizations that installed solar to lower operating costs.

Simon Rodberg, Executive Director of Lee Montessori Public Charter Schools, said Lee Montessori \"has saved the school approximately $56,000 in energy expenses\" since January 2023, but for fiscal year 2024 the school received a $34,000 property tax bill from OTR ‘‘solely because we have solar panels.’’ Rodberg said the burden was expected to rise to more than $60,000 in FY 2025 because of reassessment tied to a building addition. He told the committee that the panels were installed through a PPA, a standard financing mechanism that allowed the school to install panels without significant upfront cost; OTR concluded the PPA amounted to a commercial lease allocating taxable square footage.

Reverend William T. Young IV of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ said his congregation installed panels under a PPA in 2018 and described the installations as a mission-driven effort to lower expenses and expand clean-energy access in Ward 8. He said the OTR ruling is \"wrong because it misunderstands how our organizations use PPAs\" and warned that uncertainty will deter nonprofits, churches and charter schools from going solar.

Solar industry representatives and advocates urged a legislative fix. Corey Ramsden of Solar United Neighbors described PPAs as \"a critical financing mechanism\" that enables nonprofits to install solar with no upfront capital and directed savings toward mission work. Nicole Rintz, D.C. Committee Chair of Chesapeake Solar and Storage (CHESS), said more than 100 tax-exempt institutions have installed solar since 2018 and that the OTR decision threatens existing systems and future projects; she urged the committee to clarify law to protect nonprofit hosts while allowing the city to meet its clean-energy goals.

By contrast, resident Caroline Petty expressed concern that the bill as drafted might be overly broad and could \"incentivize tax exempt entities to lease or allow use of their buildings and grounds to for profit entities for commercial sales unrelated to the mission of the tax exempt entities.\" She urged tighter guardrails and narrower drafting to avoid opening the door to commercial use of tax-exempt property.

OCFO Assistant General Counsel Basil Fiscina testified that the bill as written would protect exempt property from losing its tax exemption when used for solar-related activities, but that the scope and trade-offs are for the council to decide: \"we would basically view that as fencing off from taxability any solar type use of a property,\" he said. He noted that existing code provisions that protect tax-exempt properties engaged in certain environmental programs (for example, stormwater retention credit installations) work in a similar way.

Committee members questioned witnesses about PPAs, roof leases, net energy metering and whether owners ever sell power to the grid; witnesses said the installations primarily offset on-site usage and that their organizations had not profited from selling excess energy. The committee chair emphasized an intention to prohibit nonprofit property owners from using this exemption to sell excess power commercially, and members said they would work on language to address concerns about energy storage, commercial leasing and the statute's scope.

No vote was taken. The committee invited written testimony through March 28, 2025 and signaled intent to work with OCFO and industry stakeholders to refine bill language to preserve the tax-exempt status of bona fide nonprofit energy-hosting arrangements while preventing unintended commercial uses of tax-exempt property.

","The Committee on Business and Economic Development heard testimony March 19, 2025, on Bill B26-55, which would amend D.C. property-tax law to prevent tax-exempt buildings and grounds from losing their exemption when used for solar energy generation, energy storage, energy management or EV charging.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

D.C. committee weighs extending disabled-veteran homestead deduction to surviving spouses

D.C. hearing advances case for Paul E. Sloughby Sr. preservation fund to protect historic African American burial grounds

Committee hears bill to protect nonprofits from property taxes tied to solar installations amid concerns over breadth of exemption