On Tuesday, January 9, 2007, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D – Ward 6) introduced his first piece of legislation as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia -- “The Safe and Stable Homes for Children and Youth Act of 2007.”

The bill is targeted to help the thousands of children in the District of Columbia that live in households headed by a person other than a parent – a grandparent, another relative, step-parent, God-parent or someone else fully committed to raising the child. At times, this arrangement can arise out of dire circumstances, such as deployment for the men and women of our military or the incapacitation of a parent due to illness.

The legislation became necessary when the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a sweeping ruling that, in effect, prevents relatives and other caregivers from filing for custody of children in their care and deprives them of standing in custody proceedings.

Councilmember Wells explained, “By restoring these caregivers legal standing in custody proceedings, while protecting the rights of parents, this bill will place the focus of the inquiry back where it should be – on the child’s best interests.”

The legislation was co-introduced by Councilmembers Phil Mendelson and David Catania, with Chairman Vincent Gray and Councilmember Kwame Brown signing on as co-sponsors. Councilmember Wells plans to quickly hold a public hearing on the legislation through the Committee on Human Services.

On Tuesday, Councilmember Wells also introduced legislation to create a new Nursing, Social Work and Allied Health Professional scholarship program to recruit more health professionals to work and live in underserved communities throughout the District. Seven of his colleagues on Council either co-introduced or co-sponsored this legislation.

###