Some news stories from the past week involving Chairman Mendelson:

DC to Move Forward with Marijuana Legalization Despite Congressional Ban – I don’t feel that I have any choice,” Mendelson said. “The voters have spoken.”  [RT]

Phil Mendelson Says It’s His “Duty” to Send Marijuana Law to Congress – D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is ignoring the “Super City Council.”  Mendelson says he will submit Initiative 71, which would legalize marijuana possession for personal use in D.C., to Congress, arguing that it’s his duty under the Home Rule Charter to do so.  “The duty to transmit is not discretionary in my view,” he said at a press conference today. “There’s no money involved on our part in whether a person commits a crime or not, so I’m not sure what Congress was intending with their language.”  [Washington City Paper]

DC Council Chairman: Marijuana Rider Doesn’t Block Transmittal to Congress – “I’m not trying to defy anybody. I’m responsible for transmitting the initiative,” Mendelson said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I have a very clear requirement in the Home Rule Act to transmit the legislation. Congress has the ability to step in when that legislation is transmitted, so I don’t see anything that’s provocative here and I certainly don’t intend any provocation.”  [Roll Call]

DC Jail Health Care Contract Raises Activists’ Ire – The concerns were enough to give Mr. Mendelson pause over the issue.  “Corizon has a reputation for attracting a lot of lawsuits in the area of inmate care,” Mr. Mendelson said Tuesday. “Until 2006, when the model for health care changed at the D.C. Jail and the current contractor was brought in, the city suffered huge, huge losses from lawsuits as a result of health care.”  [The Washington Times]

DC Council Gives Final Approval to Soccer Stadium Deal – Bowser and Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) acknowledged that hundreds of millions of dollars of needed capital improvements remain but said the stadium would not prevent the District from finding the money for other priorities.  [The Washington Post]

Borrow It: How DC Will Fund Its Share of the DC United Stadium – Gray also proposes to shift $6 million in operating funds to cover debt service on the stadium borrowing, which is expected to run $7 million annually starting in fiscal 2016.  “I would be surprised if there was any significant debate,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Tuesday.  [Washington Business Journal]

Bowser and Chaffetz Agree: 2024 Olympics Would Be Great for Washington, DC – Still, the marijuana issue threatens to become a flash point in city-federal relations.  Bowser has signaled that she will support efforts to keep pushing the pot initiative forward. And Chaffetz said he believes the budget language clearly blocks the city from moving forward with legalization. “That issue has come and gone,” he said.  D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said he plans to send the referendum to Congress for a mandatory review period, but Chaffetz said he would not seek to intervene at that point. “It’s already been dealt with,” he said. “It’s crystal clear in the law.”  [The Washington Post]

Capitol Hill Commissioner Concerned About 2024 DC Olympics Bid – “I am concerned,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson when asked about the potential cost at his Tuesday briefing. “And this is a discussion that a number of us in jurisdictions throughout the region have had with each other as well as with some of the business leaders … The cost of the games has to be a partnership. The private sector has to step and also the cost has to be one that’s reasonable, that provides a net benefit.”  [The Washington Post]

DC Council Reorganizes to Address Affordable Housing and Homeless Problems – DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Friday announced an overhaul of the city legislature designed to focus lawmakers on affordable housing and homeless issues next year, saying those two problems must be the council’s top priorities.  [The Washington Post]

Chairman Mendelson wishes you and your family a very happy, safe, and enjoyable holidays!