In May, District tenants in rent stabilized units face the highest rent increase in 40 years: a jump of almost 9%. For people with low incomes who are already struggling with the cost of inflation, this could be too much. I worry that it could further the displacement of people, which the District has already struggled to prevent. I’m working aggressively to find a solution that addresses this threat of displacement. My goal is to move emergency legislation on Tuesday to blunt this rent increase as much as possible. Under DC law, emergency legislation cannot require funding, which severely limits our options. Council rules require that a bill be filed three business days in advance of the next legislative meeting, so as we keep working with agency and budget officials to find a path forward in order to be on the agenda for Tuesday’s legislative meeting, I circulated a bill that would reduce the maximum rent increases allowed for rent stabilized units. This will serve as a placeholder while my office continues working to find a better solution.