Council committee reviews redlines to codify Boston’s Office of Returning Citizens, sets annual reporting deadline

Boston — The Government Operations committee of the Boston City Council on Wednesday advanced discussion of docket 0138, an ordinance to codify the Office of Returning Citizens, after a two-hour virtual hearing in which councilors and city staff debated changes proposed by the administration and agreed on an annual reporting schedule.

Council President Ruthie Louie Jin, the lead sponsor, said the codification is intended to expand the office’s capacity and permanence after years of growth. “We want to make sure that this office remains part of our city's fabric,” she said, urging language that centers formerly incarcerated people in the office’s work and leadership.

The ordinance’s redlines submitted by the administration narrowed several duty descriptions and replaced specific terms such as “partnerships” with the broader term “collaborations.” City human services chief Jose Maso and Office of Returning Citizens Executive…