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Oregon attorney general announces DOJ consumer-protection expansion, new economic justice unit
Summary
Attorney General Dan Rayfield told the House Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee the Oregon Department of Justice is doubling its consumer-protection capacity, creating an Economic Justice Section and a unit dedicated to working-family issues, and planning 14 additional hires funded largely by attorney-fee awards into a protection education fund.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield told the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on Sept. 30 that the Oregon Department of Justice is expanding its consumer-protection work and creating an Economic Justice Section that will include a unit focused on issues affecting working families.
"We're doubling the capacity for our work in consumer protection," Rayfield said, adding that the new unit will target matters ranging from child-labor violations to wage theft. He said the expanded work will include both impact litigation and more frontline casework for everyday consumers who currently have limited options.
Rayfield told lawmakers the new positions are largely paid from "other funds," notably attorney-fee awards recovered in successful cases. "When you go through the legal process, being successful in the cases is what ends up funding into what we call the protection education fund," he said. He also said roughly 14 additional positions are in the hiring pipeline and that some offers have been extended, but the full roster will be phased in over time.
Leslie Wu, a policy adviser to the attorney general, told the committee DOJ's consumer hotline averages about 200 complaints per week and is partially staffed by volunteers. Wu said the AG's consumer-protection survey received responses from 25 counties and 70 small-business owners; top complaint categories for 2024 included telecommunications, imposter scams, auto sales and repair, credit and lending, and health and medical issues. Wu said rent and groceries ranked as the highest-impact household expenses in the survey's budget-impact question.
Lawmakers asked how the office will balance multi-state impact litigation with frontline work; Rayfield pointed to past multi-state recoveries, saying the state has received more than $4,400,000,000 in recoveries that, in his view, justify continuing both types of work. He said DOJ will return to the committee with a more detailed hiring timeline.
The committee took no formal action on policy changes during the presentation; members were invited to follow up with the committee analyst for additional data or clarifications.
