Chapter 7. Commission for Women.

§ 3–701. Statement of purpose.

It is the purpose of this chapter to support programs directed toward evaluating and improving the status of women in the District of Columbia by establishing the Commission for Women.

§ 3–701.01. Definitions.

For the purposes of this chapter, the term:

(1) "CEDAW" means the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

(2) "Commission" means the Commission for Women established in § 3-702.

(3) "Gender" means the socially constructed characteristics and needs for women, men, and those who are nonbinary in a society.

(4) "Gender equity" means the fair treatment and distribution of opportunities and resources for women, men, and those who are nonbinary according to their respective needs.

(5) "Gender identity or expression" shall have the same meaning as provided in § 2-1401.02(12A).

(6) "Intersectionality" means an analytical framework for understanding the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination intersect to create unique dynamics and effects.

(7) "PII" means Personal Identifiable Information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual, including name, birthdate, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, age, social security number, address, marital status, educational history, salary, job title, telephone numbers, disability, medical history, email addresses, computer passwords, spouse name, financial information, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and biometric identifiers such as fingerprints, voiceprints, and iris scans.

§ 3–702. Establishment of the Commission.

(a) There is hereby established in the District of Columbia a Commission for Women (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”). The Commission shall be composed of 21 members appointed by the Mayor, from among the residents of the District of Columbia with experience in the areas of public affairs and issues of particular interest and concern to women, representative by geographic area and reflective by race and age of the population of the District of Columbia. The Commission shall be the successor to the Commission on the Status of Women established by Organization Order No. 38, Commissioner’s Order No. 73-94a, effective April 24, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission on the Status of Women”).

(b) Members of the Commission shall be appointed to serve terms of 3 years and shall serve until their successors are appointed. The present members of the Commission on the Status of Women shall be members of the Commission established by this chapter for the remainder of their current terms. A member of the Commission may be reappointed but may serve no more than 2 consecutive full terms. Tenure on the Commission on the Status of Women shall count toward the consecutive 2 full term limit on the Commission.

(c) Whenever a vacancy occurs on the Commission, the Mayor shall, within 90 working days of such vacancy, appoint a successor to fill the unexpired portion of the term.

(d) The Mayor shall designate, from among the members appointed to the Commission, the Chairperson, who shall serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the Mayor.

(e) All members of the Commission shall serve without compensation; except, that expenses incurred by the Commission as a whole or by its individual members, when duly authorized, shall become an obligation against appropriated District of Columbia funds designated for that purpose.

(f) The Mayor may remove, after notice and hearing, any member of the Commission for neglect of duty, incompetence, misconduct or malfeasance in office.

(Sept. 22, 1978, D.C. Law 2-109, § 3, 25 DCR 1456; June 12, 1999, D.C. Law 12-285, § 4(k), 46 DCR 1355; Mar. 25, 2009, D.C. Law 17-353, § 313, 56 DCR 1117; Sept. 26, 2012, D.C. Law 19-171, § 29, 59 DCR 6190.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 2-802.

1973 Ed., § 2-2602.

Effect of Amendments

D.C. Law 17-353, in subsec. (c), deleted “, with the advice and consent of the Council,” following “the Mayor”.

The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-171 validated a previously made punctuation correction in (c).

Emergency Legislation

For temporary amendment of section, see § 4(k) of the Confirmation Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-25, March 15, 1999, 46 DCR 2971).

For temporary amendment of section, see § 4(k) of the Confirmation Act Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-92, June 4, 1999, 46 DCR 5330).

For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 4(k) of the Confirmation Act Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-92, June 4, 1999, 46 DCR 5330).

§ 3–703. Powers of the Commission.

(a) The Commission shall conduct studies, review progress, develop, recommend and undertake action and initiate and conduct programs in areas including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Elimination of discrimination based on sex and elimination of gender stereotyping and bias;

(2) Public and private employment practices, including matters pertaining to hours, wages and working conditions;

(3) Education;

(4) Equality of rights and responsibilities of men and women under the law; and

(5) New and expanded services for women to facilitate their optimal functioning as homemakers, wage earners, and citizens, including mental and physical health care, and the improvement of facilities for child care and youth development.

(a-1)(1)(A) Each District agency shall conduct a gender analysis, pursuant to guidelines developed by the Commission, and provide a report including the results of the analysis to the Mayor, the Council, and the Commission, not later than 6 months after October 1, 2023, and every 2 years thereafter, that shall include:

(i) Data on gender disparities, including data on salaries, job titles, and promotional timelines, disaggregated by sex, race, ethnicity, age, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, and disability; provided, that data shall be collected, stored, aggregated, and presented in a way that protects any PII from disclosure;

(ii) An evaluation of gender equity in the agency's operations including its budget allocations, delivery of direct and indirect services, staff salaries and benefits, and employment practices; and

(iii) A review of the agency's efforts to integrate the human rights principles identified in the CEDAW into its policies and practices.

(B) The Commission shall review each agency's gender analysis and provide recommendations to the Mayor and the Council for corrective action where efforts to attain gender equity are found to be lacking by the Commission not later than 3 months after receipt of each agency's gender analysis pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and shall publish its recommendations online.

(C) Each District agency shall designate a liaison to the Commission to coordinate the completion of the gender analysis to receive training, and the Commission shall publicly post a list of current liaisons online not later than 3 months after October 1, 2023, and annually thereafter.

(D) The Commission shall provide guidelines to the liaisons designated pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph on how to conduct gender analyses and provide technical assistance throughout the gender analysis process.

(2) The Commission shall develop and publish online a citywide action plan to address and correct any deficiencies identified in the gender analyses conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection and integrate the CEDAW principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity to further local implementation not later than one year after October 1, 2023, and every 5 years thereafter. The Commission shall submit each citywide action plan to the Mayor and the Council.

(3) The Commission shall make training available to all District government employees not later than 4 months after October 1, 2023, and annually thereafter. District government employees shall complete training at least once during employment, in the following areas:

(A) The principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity as described in CEDAW;

(B) Gender bias and stereotyping and how they can lead to inequities in the workplace;

(C) The right to promotion, job security, and all benefits and conditions of employment, regardless of gender identity or expression or familial status;

(D) Content regarding violence against women and girls, where appropriate, with a perspective sensitive to gender diversity;

(E) The intersectionality of gender and race to create unique dynamics and effects;

(F) Opportunities for participants to practice the gender-inclusive skills that will be expected of them; and

(G) How to report incidents of discrimination.

(b) The Commission is authorized to apply for and receive grants to fund its program activities in accordance with procedures relating to grants management.

(d) The Commission shall stimulate and encourage study and review of the status of women and may act as a clearinghouse for activities in the District of Columbia.

(Sept. 22, 1978, D.C. Law 2-109, § 4, 25 DCR 1456; Mar. 10, 2023, D.C. Law 24-303, § 2(b), 70 DCR 585.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 2-803.

1973 Ed., § 2-2603.

Applicability

Section 7089 of D.C. Law 25-50 repealed section 3 of D.C. Law 24-303 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by section 2(b) of Law 24-303 has been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 24-303: § 4 of D.C. Law 24-303 provided that the change made to this section by § 2(b) of D.C. Law 24-303 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

§ 3–704. Administration.

(a) The Commission shall appoint an Executive Director who shall be the chief administrative officer of the Commission. The Executive Director shall report regularly to the Commission on staff activities. The Executive Director shall receive annual rate of compensation fixed in accordance with Chapter 51 of Title 5 of the United States Code.

(b) Additional staff service for the Commission shall be supplied in accordance with positions and funding approved in the District of Columbia budget.

(c) The Commission is authorized to establish rules and procedures for the conduct of its business, including the election of officers other than the Chairperson, as it deems necessary.

(d) The Commission shall submit to the Mayor annual reports of its activities and the work carried on under its direction.