WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today released his Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal, which focuses on standing up for vulnerable communities, enhancing data-driven public safety efforts, and saving District taxpayers money. As one of the nation’s premier public law firms, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is a net revenue-generating agency, contributing more than $680 million to the District in FY 2017—far more than it cost District taxpayers to run the agency.

OAG’s FY 2019 budget proposal includes a modest increase over FY 2018 levels, an investment that would equip OAG to better promote the public interest and protect taxpayer funds.

“By leveraging a portion of the millions that the Office of the Attorney General saves the District each year, we can make smart investments that enhance public safety, protect vulnerable residents, and promote the public interest,” said Attorney General Racine.

The Attorney General’s proposed budget includes:

• Standing Up for Seniors: According to a recent study, as many as one in ten seniors in the District may be experiencing some form of abuse. OAG thanks Mayor Bowser for the proposed addition of an attorney focused on combatting these abuses, and OAG is requesting the addition of an investigator to ensure the efficacy of this work. In conjunction with a paralegal currently focused on protecting seniors, this attorney and investigator can help OAG better address the financial exploitation of the District’s elderly, stem the fraud being perpetrated on our senior population, and better serve the neglected, abused, and often forgotten senior citizens of our city.
   
• Keeping Kids in School: Kids have a better shot at a successful future when they are in the classroom learning, which is why OAG has been working to combat truancy in a number of ways. OAG’s ATTEND Program, in collaboration with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, identifies and addresses the underlying issues causing truancy, connects families to supports, and enables OAG to avoid filing cases in court against parents of truant students. To strengthen this program, OAG is requesting two case managers to provide operational support. These case managers will schedule mediation dates, monitor program compliance, and make recommendations to attorneys on whether to initiate a court case based on the outcome of the mediation.
   
• Enhancing Data-Driven Public Safety Efforts: OAG has invested in data-driven public safety efforts that have produced positive results for the District and its residents. For example, OAG has expanded Restorative Justice Conferencing, which brings crime perpetrators and victims together to empower victims, hold offenders accountable, and repair the harm caused by crime; more than 80 percent of those who have successfully completed the program have not been re-arrested. To further enhance its public safety and other reform efforts, OAG is requesting a data statistician to guide its work. The statistician will analyze data from various public safety and other OAG initiatives to better inform policy decisions and program operations.
   
• Protecting District Taxpayers: OAG’s proposed budget increase pays for itself with the addition of a single Tax and Finance Section attorney, who is projected generate up to $7 million in annual savings. This new attorney will provide the resources necessary to litigate, rather than settle, marginally meritorious lawsuits challenging real property tax assessments. OAG is also requesting a paralegal in the Tax and Finance Section, which will support OAG’s ability to better enforce the District’s laws, fight abuses of the public trust, and defend the District against lawsuits, all of which benefit taxpayers.

Attorney General Racine’s testimony as prepared before the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on the Judiciary can be found here.