KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to District of Columbia

PR26-0681 • 2025

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Pinto
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material did not provide specific details on why the changes are important or necessary beyond stating that it prevents deleterious impacts on operations and delays to various programs, divisions, and cases supported by volunteer work.

Clarifying Volunteer Use for District 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 for Washington, D.C., has the authority to create regulations governing the use of volunteers in their office.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Attorney General of Washington, D.C.
  • Volunteers who help the Attorney General’s Office

Terms To Know

Attorney General
A high-ranking lawyer in charge of a government's legal work.
Emergency Declaration Resolution
A special type of law that allows quick changes to existing laws during urgent situations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution only affects the Attorney General’s Office in Washington, D.C.
  • It does not change how other parts of the government use volunteers.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution R26-0397, Effective from May 05, 2026 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 007307

  2. 2026-05-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  3. 2026-05-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2026-05-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number R26-0397

  5. 2026-04-30 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    PR26-0681 Introduced by Councilmember Pinto at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Volunteer Services Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL

1

A RESOLUTION

26-397

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

May 5, 2026

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 2026”.

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. Emergency 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 2026 be adopted after a single
reading.

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.