In order that the Authority may fulfill its purposes to the fullest extent possible, it is hereby empowered and authorized to:

(1) Acquire real and personal property by purchase, lease, transfer, gift, exchange, or otherwise, or by power of eminent domain as herein conferred;

(2) Hold, own, operate, lease, and manage: real property and the improvements thereon; personal property; funds; accounts; and other assets related to the Authority’s purposes;

(3) Establish rules and regulations governing entrance onto Housing Properties; to charge unauthorized persons on the grounds of Housing Properties with unauthorized entry; and to issue orders barring unauthorized persons from the grounds of Housing Properties;

(4) Lease, sell, pledge, encumber, mortgage, convey, dispose of, or otherwise transfer: rights and interests in real property and the improvements thereon; personal property; funds; accounts; and other assets related to the Authority’s purposes;

(5) Construct, reconstruct, improve, repair, rehabilitate, revitalize, operate, lease, and maintain Housing Properties, including assisted-living developments; Mixed-Income Communities; Mixed-Population Housing; home ownership; condominium or cooperative units; family rental developments; housing for the elderly and residents with disabilities; special needs housing and other improvements related to or supporting any or all of the foregoing; and to contract with others for the performance of such activities;

(6) Demolish unsafe, unsound, unsanitary, or obsolete Housing Properties or other structures in connection with the fulfillment of the purposes of this chapter and in accordance with applicable federal laws and regulations; and to contract with others to perform such demolition;

(7) Lease, operate, manage, and maintain Housing Properties in furtherance of its purposes;

(8) Issue Obligations pursuant to the provisions of this chapter;

(9) Apply for, accept, receive, and utilize funds from public and private sources in the form of gifts, grants, or loans;

(10) Provide grants, guarantees, and loans in connection with the development, construction, reconstruction, repair, improvement, operation, leasing, purchase, or sale of Housing Properties;

(11) Sue and be sued in its own name;

(12) Adopt and implement administrative procedures which shall be in compliance with subchapters I and II of Chapter 5 of Title 2, and all other applicable laws and regulations;

(13) Adopt and administer personnel policies and procedures, including grievance procedures, subject to collective bargaining for bargaining unit employees;

(14) Employ an Executive Director, a financial officer, and such other Officers, agents, and employees as it may require;

(15) Employ its own General Counsel, and to employ special counsel from time to time as needed;

(16) Adopt and administer its own procurement and contracting policies and procedures in accordance with § 6-219;

(17) Enter into contracts, joint ventures, or other cooperative arrangements with the District, the United States of America, other public entities, or private entities in furtherance of its purposes; provided, that:

(A) Prior to the Authority contracting out to a private entity a service or activity performed by employees of the Authority, through established standards developed by rules and regulations, the Authority shall establish that the contracting out will achieve increased efficiencies and cost savings to the Authority over the duration of the contract of at least 5%;

(B) The Authority shall establish procedures for permitting employees to submit bids or proposals to contract with the Authority as appropriate and in accordance with procurement and contracting policies and procedures established under § 6-219;

(C) Any contractor who is awarded a contract that displaces Authority employees shall offer to any displaced employee a right-of-first refusal to employment by the contractor, in a comparable available position for which the employee is qualified, for at least a 6-month period during which the employee shall not be discharged without cause; and

(D) If the employee’s performance during the 6-month period required by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph is satisfactory, the contractor shall offer the employee continued employment under the terms and conditions established by the contractor;

(18) Negotiate collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations;

(19) Establish nonprofit and for-profit corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and other entities to act in furtherance of its purposes;

(20) Create a distinctive design and numbering system for identification of Authority motor vehicles and other property, including a DCHAPD license tag which shall be affixed to the license plates of the DCHAPD vehicles at the Authority’s expense;

(21) Develop, establish, adopt, and administer a personnel system, and publish rules and regulations setting forth minimum standards for all employees, including appointments, promotions, discipline, grievance, separation, compensation, employee disability and death benefits, leave, retirement, health and life insurance, and preferences. With regard to Authority employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, all such personnel rules, regulations, and standards shall only be applicable to such employees by agreement between their collective bargaining representative and the Authority;

(22) Exercise any power customarily possessed by public enterprises or private corporations performing similar functions, and to undertake any and all other activities as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate in connection with the furtherance and accomplishment of the Authority’s mission, that are not in conflict with the laws of the District; and

(23) To petition the Mayor to acquire property through eminent domain in accordance with D.C. Official Code §§ 16-1311 to 16-1321.

(May 9, 2000, D.C. Law 13-105, § 4, 47 DCR 1325; Apr. 24, 2007, D.C. Law 16-305, § 19(b), 53 DCR 6198.)

This section is referenced in § 4-756.01.

D.C. Law 16-305, in par. (5), substituted “residents with disabilities” for “disabled”.

For temporary (90-day) addition of section, see notes following § 6-201.

Section 2 of D.C. Law 17-364 provided:

“Sec. 2. Housing waiting list elimination plan.

“(a) Within 90 days of the effective date of this act, the Mayor shall develop and submit to the Council for approval a comprehensive plan to eliminate the District of Columbia Housing Authority’s current waiting list of individuals seeking housing choice vouchers and placement in public housing by January 1, 2011.

“(b) The plan shall identify local funding for, but not limited to, the local rent supplement program and the production of new public housing units to create new housing options for the over 25,000 individuals currently on the waiting list.

“(c) The plan shall also identify a strategy for the District to pursue additional federal, private, and other funding for this purpose.

“(d) The plan shall identify a strategy and make recommendations to prevent the waiting list from reaching current levels in the future.

“(e) In developing the plan, the Mayor shall consult and collaborate with appropriate public and private agencies, institutions, and organizations in the District of Columbia.”