Baltimore committee advances bill to create Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing

The Baltimore City Council Housing and Economic Development Committee advanced legislation on a 3–1 vote that would create a Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing and grant that office civil citation and adjudicative authority.

Councilman Ryan Dorsey, sponsor of Council Bill 250001, opened the hearing saying Baltimore has “resorted over time to repeatedly reinventing the wheel” and argued the city needs a professionalized office to coordinate licensing and consumer protection. “This bill creates a department of consumer protection and business licensing, a professionalized city service that is long overdue,” Dorsey said.

The bill would consolidate licenses and consumer protection enforcement that now sit in several agencies and create a board to adjudicate hearings and provide oversight. Eric Friedman, director of the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection, testified by remote connection in support, praising the consolidation and local enforcement tools and saying the measure would help both “consumers and merchants.” “If merchants and consumers in Baltimore are shopping for good news, creating this new department will really be their best purchase,” Friedman said.

A downtown resident, Michael Stewart, described a personal case he said illustrates gaps in current local oversight: he told the committee his vehicle had been towed from a public right-of-way by a trespass-tow company and that resolution required months of advocacy from his council representative and administrative action rather than a hearing before the existing Trespass Tow Board. Stewart said a dedicated department would improve public awareness of recourse and provide consistent enforcement.

Agency representatives — including the law department, city budget director, Department of Housing and Community Development, Baltimore Police Department, Department of Transportation, Health Department and others — reported favorable positions or support for the bill. Hillary Rulli of the law department said suggested amendments had been incorporated into the sponsor’s circulated amendments and that the law department could approve the bill for form and legal sufficiency.

City Budget Director Laura Larson told the committee the draft operating model carries additional costs and described implementation assumptions discussed in the administration’s fiscal analysis. Committee members referenced a draft net budget impact of about $600,000 and an assumed transfer of roughly $900,000 from existing agency budgets to create the new office; committee members also noted the legislation contemplates roughly 10 new positions, and the administration said a comprehensive fee review (the city’s last was in 02/2008) could reduce the net cost by updating existing license fees.

Members debated governance and ethics issues, including whether an elected council member should sit on the proposed adjudicatory board. Councilman James Glover asked why the council could not appoint a member to the board; Dorsey and witnesses said best practice and ethics concerns counsel against elected officials serving on quasi‑judicial licensing bodies because of potential conflicts with campaign fundraising and oversight responsibilities. Hillary Rulli said the ethics board should be consulted if the committee wanted to pursue that option.

After agency reports and public testimony, the committee considered sponsor amendments and adopted them on a roll-call vote moved by Councilman Zach Blanchard and seconded by Councilman Jeraine Jones. The motion to adopt amendments passed 3–1 (Chair James Torrance, Zach Blanchard and Jeraine Jones voting aye; James Glover voting no; one member absent). The committee then voted 3–1 to move the bill as amended to second reader next week.

The committee did not take additional implementation actions at the hearing; members and agency staff said further work would be required on fee schedules, staffing transitions from existing agencies, and any ethics guidance about board membership.

Votes at a glance

- Adopt amendments to Council Bill 250001 — Moved by Zach Blanchard; seconded by Jeraine Jones. Roll call: Torrance (Aye), Glover (No), Blanchard (Aye), Jones (Aye); Ramos absent. Outcome: Passed, 3–1.

- Move Council Bill 250001, as amended, to second reader — Moved by Zach Blanchard; seconded by Jeraine Jones. Roll call: Torrance (Aye), Glover (No), Blanchard (Aye), Jones (Aye); Ramos absent. Outcome: Passed, 3–1.