FY27 Budget Testimony: Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection

Policy Attorney Patrick Cothern testified before the Committee on Public Works and Operations at the FY2027 Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection budget hearing. Children’s Law Center supports DLCP’s ongoing efforts to strengthen corporate transparency, improve consumer-facing systems, and collaborate with enforcement partners. To build on that progress, the FY27 budget should include targeted investments in staffing, technology, and interagency data-sharing capacity so that corporate registration and licensing records are accurate, usable, and able to support timely enforcement that protects tenants’ health and safety. The current proposal to cut DLCP budget, and the proposed removal of FTEs in crucial roles, would be a backwards step from the progress DLCP has already made.