(a) There is established within the Department a Made in DC program, which shall:
(1) Promote products created, manufactured, or assembled in the District;
(2) Develop and promote the Made in DC brand name as an identifier of products created, manufactured, or assembled in the District;
(3) Develop a logo for the Made in DC brand name to aid District-based businesses in marketing their products and to promote public recognition of the logo;
(4) Raise awareness of and pride in products created, manufactured, or assembled in the District that carry the Made in DC logo;
(5) Conduct a public awareness campaign, including producing public service announcements and distributing marketing materials, such as stickers, flyers, and digital logos, to promote the Made in DC brand name;
(6) Coordinate with Events DC and Destination DC to market the Made in DC brand name and products created, manufactured, or assembled in the District to conventions, tourists, and major events;
(7) Establish and maintain an online resource listing of products branded Made in DC;
(8) Establish an application process to approve an eligible product created, manufactured, or assembled in the District; provided, that the Department shall review each approval every 3 years to confirm a product's continued eligibility and revoke its approval for use of the Made in DC brand name of any product or DBB that no longer meets the requirements of this section;
(9) Provide technical assistance and other support to help eligible makers utilize the Made in DC brand name, including:
(A) Coordinating with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to market the Program to eligible makers; and
(B) Developing an interactive network to enable designers and makers to connect to spur local product innovation and partnerships;
(10) Monitor the use of the Made in DC brand name to identify and stop the unauthorized use of the brand name and its logo; and
(11) Develop criteria to evaluate on an ongoing basis the effectiveness of the Program.
(b) The Department may engage a non-governmental organization with specific expertise in the District maker community to:
(1) Assist the Department with the duties listed in subsection (a) of this section;
(2) Identify makers who may be eligible to participate in the Program; and
(3) Assess obstacles, if any, to the viability of the District maker community and make recommendations to address those obstacles.
(July 1, 2016, D.C. Law 21-135, § 3, 63 DCR 7141.)
Section 7007 of D.C. Law 21-160 repealed § 7 of D.C. Law 21-135. Therefore the changes made to this section by D.C. Law 21-113 have been given effect.
Applicability of D.C. Law 21-135: § 7 of D.C. Law 21-135 provided that the addition of this section by § 3 of D.C. Law 21-135 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.