DOPL tells JFAC audits show excess cash balances; seeks targeted pay boost for inspectors amid high turnover

Russ Baron, administrator of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that DOPL is managing more than 45 professional boards and hundreds of thousands of licensed professionals and is addressing long-standing audit findings about excessive cash balances.

DOPL was created by House Bill 318 in 2020 to consolidate multiple licensing functions. Kellen McGurkin, a Legislative Services analyst, told the committee DOPL now oversees roughly 200,000 licensees (approaching 300,000 in Jacob Baron’s remarks) across 45 boards and commissions and operates primarily on dedicated and federal funds. McGurkin showed receipts and transfers that included about $50 million moved from boards’ prior cash balances and roughly $30 million in new licensing revenue, and he said DOPL is working to rebalance board cash accounts…