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District Moves Closer to Electing Attorney General |
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Longtime Catania Initiative Passed by Council
Washington, D.C. – Today, the D.C. Council approved the “Attorney General of the District of Columbia Clarification Act of 2009” by a vote of 12-0. If approved on second reading and signed by the Mayor, the legislation will amend the District’s Home Rule Act to make the Attorney General an elected position.
Granting District residents the power to elect their Attorney General is a longtime initiative of Councilmember David Catania (At-Large). Councilmember Catania first introduced legislation on the issue in March 1998. Afterwards, he reintroduced resolutions in 1999 and 2001 to declare the Council’s support for changing the Attorney General from a Mayoral appointee to an elected position. Catania was also instrumental in placing the issue on an advisory referendum in 2002. That year, 82 percent of District residents voted to support this change.
“There has never been a public discussion as to what our law enforcement agenda should be in the District because we have never voted for the position of Attorney General,” said Catania. “I believe that the city will benefit when its residents can choose what our prosecutorial priorities should be. Moreover, the constructive tension that arises when you have an elected and independent Attorney General serves to promote better government.”
The legislation also defines the minimum qualifications a person seeking the office must maintain and establishes procedures for the appointment of a special counsel in the event that a conflict of interest arises. The final reading on the bill will occur on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.
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