News & Updates
OAG Testimony on on Attendance, Chronic Absenteeism, and Truancy in the District
Statement of Dana Edwards, Case Manager, Public Safety Division, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
OAG Testimony on the Proactive Inspection Program Act of 2022
This important bill will ensure that the newly created Department of Buildings (DOB) will have an effective proactive inspection program, which is critical to ensuring safe housing for the District’s most at-risk residents.
Standing Up for Fair, Safe, and Equitable Housing in the District
It’s been a busy few weeks advocating for housing justice here at the Office of Attorney General. We’ve had two significant wins: Passing emergency legislation to reform the DC Housing Authority and securing the largest housing discrimination penalty in U.S. history.
Silverman, Racine Introduce Emergency Bill to Begin Needed Housing Authority Reform
The emergency bill increases training requirements for its board of commissioners, requires more frequent reporting on housing conditions to the D.C. Council, and clarifies that DCHA has long been required to follow DC’s consumer protection laws.
AG Racine Forces Owners & Managers of Apartment Buildings to Pay More Than $2 million to the District, Improve Public Safety Around Properties in Lawsuit Brought by OAG
Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced the resolution of three cases including one in which the owners and property managers of two apartment buildings in Ward 4 will pay the District more than $2 million for public safety and housing code violations and remedy those conditions, and two…
In DC, We Stand Up Against Discrimination
Last week, I filed a civil rights lawsuit against the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) for forcing hundreds of public housing residents with disabilities to wait years—and sometimes more than a decade—for accessible housing.
Celebrating Juneteenth and Committing to a More Just Future
On June 19, we will celebrate Juneteenth: the 157th anniversary of the effective end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is a day to celebrate liberation—and it’s a day for all of us to reflect on our nation’s past.
AG Racine Secures Nearly $2 Million For Victims of Rent Hike Scam and District Through Trial Victory
Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Equity Residential Management, LLC, which manages the apartment complex at 3003 Van Ness in Northwest DC, is paying nearly $2 million to tenants and the District for lying to prospective residents about apartment rental costs and then…
Cracking Down on Owners of Vacant Properties Evading Taxes
It will likely come as no surprise to you that the District is in the midst of a housing crisis, with too many residents struggling to access safe and affordable places to live.
AG Racine Announces First Enforcement Action to Crack Down on Tax Evasion by Owners of Vacant & Blighted Houses
AG Racine today announced the first enforcement action brought by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) against owners of long-term vacant or blighted homes who made false claims to avoid paying the higher property taxes that the District imposes on empty or blighted properties.