# District of Columbia B26-0559: Soul of the City Business Improvement District Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 District of Columbia B26-0559, Soul of the City Business Improvement District Emergency Amendment Act of 2026, is a Council Period 26 (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Trayon White Sr. (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-02-06 (Act A26-0246 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 001058, Expires on Apr 22, 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-04). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0559-26 - As of: 2026-11-04 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: District of Columbia B26-0559 - State: District of Columbia - Session: Council Period 26 (2025-2026) - Title: Soul of the City Business Improvement District Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-05 - Last action: 2026-02-06, Act A26-0246 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 001058, Expires on Apr 22, 2026 - Sponsor: Trayon White Sr. (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (24 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Business district tax breaks for safety and affordable units: benefit, medium. A property is exempt from the district tax for the next tax year if the owner spent over $250,000 in the prior year on qualifying safety work, and the district certifies it. Qualifying work must improve public space next to the property or add retail security for that property. Also, a unit is exem… - Business district tax rates and 3% increase: cost, medium. The law sets tax rates for the district starting April 1, 2026. Class 2 properties (not hotels) pay $0.18 per $100 of assessed value. Hotels and motels pay $120 per room each year. Class 1A units in buildings with 5 or more rental units placed in service after July 17, 1985 pay $120 per unit each y… - Business district taxes on leaseholds: cost, medium. When a taxable building in the district sits on tax‑exempt land under a ground lease, the district counts the building and the leasehold interest. The lessee or user owes the district tax. The District collects it using the same rules as possessory interest taxes. This starts April 1, 2026. - New Soul of the City business district: cost, medium. The law authorizes the Soul of the City business improvement district, subject to the Mayor’s approval. The district’s map is the fixed list of lots named in the law as of January 6, 2026. New district assessments apply inside this map starting April 1, 2026. Later lot splits or renumbering do not… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Trayon White Sr. (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-01-06 | House | Other | pass | 12 | 0 | | | 2026-01-06 | House | Final Reading | pass | 12 | 0 | | ## Actions (7) - 2026-02-06: Act A26-0246 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 001058, Expires on Apr 22, 2026 (House) - 2026-01-23: Returned from Mayor (House) - 2026-01-22: Signed by the Mayor and Enacted with Act Number A26-0246, Expires on Apr 22, 2026 (House) - 2026-01-20: Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Feb 02, 2026 (House) - 2026-01-06: Legislative Meeting (House) - 2026-01-06: Retained by the Council (House) - 2026-01-05: B26-0559 Introduced by Councilmember T. White at Office of the Secretary (House) ## Bill text - Amendment, 2026-01-06: [PDF](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Meeting1/Amendment/B26-0559-Amendment1.pdf?Id=230788) - Enrollment, 2026-01-06: [PDF](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Meeting1/Enrollment/B26-0559-Enrollment2.pdf?Id=230654) - Introduced, 2026-01-05: [PDF](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Introduction/B26-0559-Introduction.pdf?Id=230247) ## Related bills - B26-0047: Funeral Directors Licensing Reform Amendment Act of 2025 (signed) - B26-0785: Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Rental Vehicle Sales Tax Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 (signed) - B26-0663: Fiscal Year 2026 Revised Local Budget Temporary Act of 2026 (signed) - B26-0181: Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Amendment Act of 2025 (signed) - B26-0735: Special Education for Young Adults in the Custody of the Department of Corrections Temporary Amendment Act of 2026 (signed) - B26-0760: Medical Cannabis Licensing and Unlicensed Establishment Enforcement Clarification Temporary Amendment Act of 2026 (signed) ## Sources - [Amendment (PDF)](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Meeting1/Amendment/B26-0559-Amendment1.pdf?Id=230788) - [Enrollment (PDF)](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Meeting1/Enrollment/B26-0559-Enrollment2.pdf?Id=230654) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/61048/Introduction/B26-0559-Introduction.pdf?Id=230247) ## Related - [B26-0047: Funeral Directors Licensing Reform Amendment Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0047-26) - [B26-0785: Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Rental Vehicle Sales Tax Clarification Emergency Amend…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0785-26) - [B26-0663: Fiscal Year 2026 Revised Local Budget Temporary Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0663-26) - [B26-0181: Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Amendment Act…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0181-26) - [B26-0735: Special Education for Young Adults in the Custody of the Department of Correcti…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0735-26) - [B26-0760: Medical Cannabis Licensing and Unlicensed Establishment Enforcement Clarificati…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0760-26) - [District of Columbia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/district-of-columbia/bills) - [District of Columbia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/district-of-columbia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DC-B26-0559-26 (as of 2026-11-04).