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DLCP says BEST Act changes and new corporate registry will streamline licensing; advocates warn budget cuts risk delays
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Summary
Business and industry witnesses at the June 9 oversight hearing urged the Committee on Public Works and Operations to preserve funding for DLCP’s BEST Act implementation and corporate‑registry modernization, which they said will simplify licensing and help hold landlords accountable.
Business groups including the DC Chamber of Commerce, Georgetown BID, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and small‑business speakers praised DLCP’s recent customer‑service improvements and called for full funding to complete the Business and Entrepreneurship Support to Thrive (BEST) Act implementation and the department’s corporate‑registry modernization.
Janette Hubbard, president and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce, told the committee the BEST Act reforms “streamlining, simplifying, and economizing what has been a lengthy, confusing, and costly business licensing process” are integral to a broader growth strategy. John Wiebenson of the Georgetown BID and small‑business speakers likewise praised Director Tiffany Crowe and DLCP staff for faster licensing turnaround and improved responsiveness.
DLCP said the mayor’s proposed FY 2026 operating budget for the agency is $31,878,163, a nearly 18 percent reduction from FY 2025 driven primarily by projected fee revenue declines tied to the BEST Act’s reduced license fees. Director Crowe told the committee that DLCP will implement reductions in licensing categories, fee reductions and other streamlining measures effective October 1, 2025, consistent with the law, and that the agency has an IT vendor in place to launch an updated Corps Online system by January 2026.
Children's Law Center expressed concern about specific proposed cuts in the mayor’s FY 2026 submission. Policy attorney Makenna Osborne said the corporate services office needs adequate IT and enforcement capacity to make the corporate‑records database searchable by beneficial owner and to hold bad landlord actors accountable. Osborne testified that the proposed budget cuts include $475,000 to corporation services, $32,000 to the civil infractions enforcement team, and “most importantly, over $2,000,000 to the agency's information technology services,” and she urged the committee to ask DLCP how those cuts would affect the planned Core Online modernization.
Director Crowe said the department has allocated $2.5 million initially for BEST Act implementation and that contractors and platform teams have been selected; she confirmed the agency expects to spend the allocated funds and launch the licensing changes on October 1, 2025, while Corp Online is scheduled for a January 2026 roll-out. DLCP officials said they are working to reduce call volumes through better online tools, appointments, and chat support and to cross‑train staff to handle customer calls previously managed by contractors.
The committee sought more detail on several budget line items: what remains of the BEST Act implementation funding; whether legacy‑system maintenance cuts create an unacceptable risk before Corp Online launches; and how many vendor calls or customer inquiries are currently handled by contractors (DLCP said the occupational/professional licensing contractor handles roughly 5,000 calls per month). Director Crowe and agency fiscal staff agreed to follow up with specific figures on remaining BEST Act funds, legacy maintenance contingency plans, and projected call‑center staffing after the migration.
Ending: Council members pressed DLCP to provide a schedule of spending and deliverables for the BEST Act and Corp Online modernization and asked for a written assessment of the impacts of the proposed FY 2026 IT and contract reductions on the January 2026 launch date.
