Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving as the eighth Mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented Ward 4 as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2015. She is the second female Mayor of the District of Columbia after Sharon Pratt, and the first woman to be reelected to that position.
In a little-noticed development, the D.C. chief financial officer determined in November that there are insufficient funds in the city’s budget to implement an important part of a bill approved by the D.C.
Council to strengthen the prosecution of hate crimes, including anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. The bill in question, the Bella Evangelista and Tony Hunter Panic Defense Prohibition and Hate Crimes Response Amendment Act of 2020, won final approval by the Council on Dec.
20 by a unanimous vote. In a Nov. 23 fiscal impact statement for the bill, D.C. Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt said a provision in the bill that requires the D.C.