Committee on Executive Administration and Labor adopts rules, approves staff appointments and forwards OEA nomination
January 27, 2025 | Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia
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Councilmember Anita Bonds, chairperson of the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, opened the committee’s organizational meeting at 11:15 a.m. Jan. 27, 2025, and the panel unanimously adopted its rules for Council Period 26, approved a slate of staff appointments and voted to report favorably on the mayoral nomination of Pia Winston to the Office of Employee Appeals.
"We are meeting to consider and vote on the rules of organization and procedure for the committee," Bonds said at the start of the session, which the chair described as an organizational meeting for Council Period 26. The committee also considered a staff appointment resolution and PR26-21, the confirmation resolution for Pia Winston.
Bonds framed the meeting as largely administrative and reviewed accomplishments from the prior council period, including updates to the district’s wage transparency rules, authorization and funding for an electronic notary system, a change to agency rulemaking to accept online public comments, and passage of a Career Ready Early Scholars program administered by the Department of Employment Services. She also noted legislation allowing retired firefighters and police officers to work at the Office of Unified Communications without affecting pensions, ongoing oversight of congregate meal sites and transportation connector cards for seniors, and extensive collective-bargaining activity affecting approximately 5,776 active District of Columbia public school employees.
After brief remarks, Bonds moved the rules of organization and procedure for Council Period 26. Hearing no discussion, she called for the ayes; committee members signified unanimous approval.
Bonds then moved the staff-appointment resolution for Council Period 26, which the chair described as naming Kevin Chavis as committee director, G. Marie Elkin as deputy director for labor relations, and Emily Delanos as director for workforce development. Bonds thanked additional committee staff by name, including L. Smith Callahan (legislative director), Andrew Martel (council program analyst), and Julia Hudson (chief of staff), among others. The committee voted unanimously to approve the staff appointments.
The committee considered PR26-21, the confirmation resolution for Pia Winston to the Office of Employee Appeals (OEA). Bonds described OEA as "an independent administrative, a judiciary agency that processes appeals filed by the district's government workforce" and summarized Winston’s background as a labor and employment attorney who served nearly seven years with the National Labor Relations Board and is described in the record as a Ward 7 resident with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. Bonds said Winston would fill the vacancy left by Clarence Labor for the unexpired term ending April 6, 2030, and noted the nomination will be deemed disapproved on April 8, 2025, unless the Council acts.
With no discussion recorded on the nomination, Bonds moved to report the committee’s organization and procedure report, the staff appointments and the committee report on PR26-21, with leave for staff to make technical changes. She called for the ayes and announced a unanimous committee vote to report the measures to the full Council. Bonds closed the meeting at 11:22 a.m.
Votes at a glance: Rules of organization and procedure for Council Period 26 — moved by Councilmember Anita Bonds; committee vote: unanimous approval (committee of four present). Staff appointment resolution for Council Period 26 — moved by Councilmember Anita Bonds; committee vote: unanimous approval (committee of four present). PR26-21, Office of Employee Appeals — Pia Winston Confirmation Resolution of 2025 — committee moved to report favorably with leave for technical changes; committee vote: unanimous to report.
The committee’s votes were procedural committee actions to adopt internal rules, approve staff assignments for the committee’s work, and forward a mayoral nomination to the full Council; the record shows no amendments or opposition during the meeting.
"We are meeting to consider and vote on the rules of organization and procedure for the committee," Bonds said at the start of the session, which the chair described as an organizational meeting for Council Period 26. The committee also considered a staff appointment resolution and PR26-21, the confirmation resolution for Pia Winston.
Bonds framed the meeting as largely administrative and reviewed accomplishments from the prior council period, including updates to the district’s wage transparency rules, authorization and funding for an electronic notary system, a change to agency rulemaking to accept online public comments, and passage of a Career Ready Early Scholars program administered by the Department of Employment Services. She also noted legislation allowing retired firefighters and police officers to work at the Office of Unified Communications without affecting pensions, ongoing oversight of congregate meal sites and transportation connector cards for seniors, and extensive collective-bargaining activity affecting approximately 5,776 active District of Columbia public school employees.
After brief remarks, Bonds moved the rules of organization and procedure for Council Period 26. Hearing no discussion, she called for the ayes; committee members signified unanimous approval.
Bonds then moved the staff-appointment resolution for Council Period 26, which the chair described as naming Kevin Chavis as committee director, G. Marie Elkin as deputy director for labor relations, and Emily Delanos as director for workforce development. Bonds thanked additional committee staff by name, including L. Smith Callahan (legislative director), Andrew Martel (council program analyst), and Julia Hudson (chief of staff), among others. The committee voted unanimously to approve the staff appointments.
The committee considered PR26-21, the confirmation resolution for Pia Winston to the Office of Employee Appeals (OEA). Bonds described OEA as "an independent administrative, a judiciary agency that processes appeals filed by the district's government workforce" and summarized Winston’s background as a labor and employment attorney who served nearly seven years with the National Labor Relations Board and is described in the record as a Ward 7 resident with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. Bonds said Winston would fill the vacancy left by Clarence Labor for the unexpired term ending April 6, 2030, and noted the nomination will be deemed disapproved on April 8, 2025, unless the Council acts.
With no discussion recorded on the nomination, Bonds moved to report the committee’s organization and procedure report, the staff appointments and the committee report on PR26-21, with leave for staff to make technical changes. She called for the ayes and announced a unanimous committee vote to report the measures to the full Council. Bonds closed the meeting at 11:22 a.m.
Votes at a glance: Rules of organization and procedure for Council Period 26 — moved by Councilmember Anita Bonds; committee vote: unanimous approval (committee of four present). Staff appointment resolution for Council Period 26 — moved by Councilmember Anita Bonds; committee vote: unanimous approval (committee of four present). PR26-21, Office of Employee Appeals — Pia Winston Confirmation Resolution of 2025 — committee moved to report favorably with leave for technical changes; committee vote: unanimous to report.
The committee’s votes were procedural committee actions to adopt internal rules, approve staff assignments for the committee’s work, and forward a mayoral nomination to the full Council; the record shows no amendments or opposition during the meeting.
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