Volunteer Services Clarification Temporary Amendment Act of 2026
Summary
This temporary bill amends the District of Columbia Volunteers Services Act of 1977 to clarify that the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is authorized to promulgate regulations governing the Attorney General’s use of volunteers. The operative change is narrow: it adds the Attorney General to the statute’s list of entities covered by the volunteer-services authority, alongside the District of Columbia Board of Education.
The measure is temporary in nature and is set to apply retroactively as of April 15, 2026. It also adopts the Budget Director’s fiscal impact statement and is scheduled to expire 225 days after taking effect, indicating that the Council intended it as a short-term clarification rather than a permanent overhaul of the volunteer-services framework.
Impact
The bill would amend D.C. Official Code § 1-319.02 to expressly include the Attorney General for the District of Columbia among the officials or entities authorized under the Volunteers Services Act of 1977 to use volunteers and to issue implementing regulations. In practical terms, it confirms the Attorney General’s regulatory authority over volunteer participation within that office, while leaving the broader structure of the existing volunteer-services law intact. Because the act is temporary and retroactive to April 15, 2026, it appears designed to resolve an immediate legal or administrative question without making a lasting statutory change.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support: the bill passed first reading 12-0 and final reading 12-0. No committee transcripts are available, but the recorded votes suggest the Council viewed the measure as a straightforward technical clarification with little or no opposition. The absence of recorded dissent is consistent with the bill’s limited scope and temporary duration.
Contention
No notable substantive contention is reflected in the materials provided. The only discernible issue is the statutory clarification itself—whether the Attorney General should be expressly included in the Volunteers Services Act’s authorization to regulate volunteer use. The unanimous votes indicate that any concern was likely procedural or technical rather than policy-driven, and no opposing viewpoints are documented in the available record.