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PR26-0285 • 2025

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Pinto
Last action
2025-09-17
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed explanations of why the changes are important or necessary, only that they are needed to prevent deleterious impacts on operations.

Clarifying Volunteer Use for Attorney General

This resolution clarifies that the Attorney General in Washington D.C. can make rules about using volunteers to help with their work.

What This Bill Does

  • Declares an emergency situation requiring changes to the Volunteers Services Act of 1977.
  • Clarifies that the Attorney General has authority to create regulations for volunteer use within their office.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Attorney General's Office
  • Volunteers who work with the Attorney General

Terms To Know

Attorney General for the District of Columbia
A government official in Washington D.C. responsible for enforcing laws and representing the city in legal matters.
Volunteers Services Act of 1977
A law that sets rules about how volunteers can be used by different parts of the District's government.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution does not specify who will enforce or oversee these new regulations.
  • It is unclear what specific changes to the Volunteers Services Act will be made beyond clarifying the Attorney General’s authority.

Bill History

  1. 2025-09-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  2. 2025-08-08 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution R26-0179, Effective from Jul 28, 2025 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 008611

  3. 2025-07-28 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2025-07-28 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number R26-0179

  5. 2025-07-23 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    PR26-0285 Introduced by Councilmember Pinto at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL

1

A RESOLUTION

26-179

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

July 28, 2025

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Volunteers
Services Act of 1977 to clarify that the Attorney General for the District of Columbia has
the authority to promulgate regulations governing the Attorney General’s use of
volunteers.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2025”.

Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to amend the Volunteers Services Act of 1977,
effective June 28, 1977 (D.C. Law 2-12; D.C. Official Code § 1-319.01 et seq.) (“VSA”), to
clarify that the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (“Attorney General”) has the
authority to promulgate regulations governing the Office of the Attorney General’s use of
volunteers.
(b) Section 2 of the VSA establishes a policy of the District government to utilize
volunteer citizens in as many governmental programs as is practicable to serve the interests of
the community.
(c) Section 4(a) of the VSA requires that regulations governing the use of volunteers by
the District government be promulgated before District agencies accept volunteer services.
(d) Section 3 of the VSA, enacted before the Attorney General became an independently
elected office, does not explicitly authorize the Attorney General to promulgate regulations
governing the Attorney General’s use of volunteers.
(e) Rules governing the use volunteers by the District government were published in the
D.C. Register on December 10, 1982 (29 DCR 5405). These rules covered the Corporation
Counsel and later, the Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”).
(f) Section 108a of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia Clarification and
Elected Term Amendment Act of 2010, effective October 22, 2015 (D.C. Law 21-36; D.C.
Official Code § 1-301.88a), generally provided the Attorney General with independent personnel
authority for OAG. However, it did not amend the VSA to explicitly authorize the Attorney
General to promulgate separate, independent regulations governing OAG’s use of volunteers.
ENROLLED ORIGINAL

2

(g) Amending the VSA to explicitly authorize OAG to promulgate its own rules would
align with the Attorney General’s status as an independently elected official and the Attorney
General’s independent personnel authority.
(h) Emergency legislation is needed immediately so that OAG can continue to use
volunteers to fulfill its mission to enforce the District’s laws and protect and defend District
residents. Volunteers, including attorneys and interns, contribute important legal, governmental,
policy, investigatory, research, mediation, and constituent services to the agency and to the
District. For example, volunteer work constitutes crucial support to the litigative and other work
across OAG. The emergency nature of this legislation is justified in order to prevent deleterious
impacts on operations and delays to the agency’s various programs, divisions, and cases
supported by volunteer work.

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the
Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be adopted after a single
reading.

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.