On July 10, 2019, the D.C. Policy Center’s article, Implementing the NEAR Act to reduce violence in D.C., was cited by DCist:
After a Supreme Court decision last year overturned a federal law that largely banned sports betting, states across the country lined up to set up their own legal programs and reap what they claimed would be significant amounts of revenue. D.C., looking to be first out of the gate in the region, leaped ahead of both Maryland and Virginia, quickly passing a bill allowing sports betting facilities to open in stadiums, arenas, bars, restaurants and other venues last December.
In order to secure the needed votes, Councilmember Evans made a deal with wavering colleagues: the revenue from sports betting would be used to fund the Birth-to-Three For All D.C Act and the NEAR Act, ambitious and expensive new programs to improve early childhood education and tackle violence, respectively. But the fine print showed only about $750,000 to each program.
Read more: Controversial Sports Betting Contract Wins D.C. Council Approval | DCist
Related: Implementing the NEAR Act to reduce violence in D.C. | D.C. Policy Center