Labor & Employment (Labor Standards)

This bill updates D.C. labor laws to explicitly include domestic workers and home care workers under minimum wage and overtime protections. It defines home care workers as individuals providing personal care, supervision, health services, or companionship to seniors and people with disabilities in private homes. The legislation ensures these workers retain local wage standards even if federal protections are reduced, aiming to help the District maintain a stable workforce for its aging population.

This bill requires the Washington Convention Center Authority to restrict the use of temporary food and beverage workers and protect overtime opportunities for permanent employees. It prohibits operators from using temporary staff except during genuine emergencies or under existing contracts that cannot be cancelled, and it bans caps on overtime hours for permanent workers. The legislation also prevents discrimination against employees hired at other venues in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. These changes would be included as mandatory terms in all future contracts for food and beverage services at the convention center.

This bill modernizes Washington, D.C.'s child labor law by transferring enforcement from the outdated Board of Education to the Department of Employment Services (DOES). It requires employers to obtain youth work permits for minor employees (under age 14), maintains restrictions on work hours and occupations, and establishes penalties for violations. The law clarifies DOES as the agency responsible for issuing permits, investigating violations, and conducting public education - addressing the current lack of centralized oversight. It does not change core protections for minors but creates a functional framework to implement existing rules, which have remained largely unchanged since 1928.