Noise Bill Resurrected in Surprise Move

In a surprise stealth move, a DC City Council Committee Tuesday voted out a "Noise Control" bill strongly opposed by the local labor community. "There's a very real danger that a full Council vote could come as early as next Tuesday," warns Metro Council President Jos Williams, who sent a letter to Council Chairman Vincent Gray on Wednesday to require the committee to take another vote on the bill after proper public notification. Despite intense interest in this bill - which was first brought up in 2006 - the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs posted no public notice of its intent to mark up the bill, which had been thought dead after overwhelming opposition at a July hearing last year. The bill would impose noise restrictions that area labor activists and civil liberties activists fear could easily be applied to labor and community demonstrations.