NYC Council oversight hearing spotlights DCWP enforcement, student‑loan counseling bill and flex‑benefits debate

Chair Shane Epstein convened the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection on Feb. 25 for an oversight hearing in which Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel Levine outlined the agency’s recent enforcement work and weighed in on two council bills.

Levine told the committee DCWP received about 27,000 complaints in each of the last two years and has filed three major lawsuits recently “aiming to recover tens of millions of dollars for consumers and workers.” He said DCWP returned more than $5,000,000 to underpaid delivery workers and finalized a local hotel junk‑fee rule estimated to save New Yorkers roughly $45,000,000 annually. “The era of ripping off New Yorkers with impunity is over,” Levine said.

The hearing focused on operational details: Levine and agency counsel explained intake channels (311, nyc.gov, direct council referrals), the agency’s consumer services mediation arm, and a triage that refers roughly 3,000 complaints a year to inspections; those inspections led to about 1,200 summonses, the agency said. Levine said DCWP aims to dispatch inspectors within two to three days when jurisdictional information is complete and outlined a VIP education inspection program that the agency uses to help small businesses come into compliance without immediate penalties.

Council members pressed for data disaggregated by borough, industry and language. Levine supplied a high‑level 2025 summons tally and borough breakdown and acknowledged the agency will follow up with more granular figures on inspection outcomes, restitution and demographic metrics. He said DCWP secured more than $28,000,000 in restitution over four years and reported $4,200,000 in restitution for 2024, including mediations and attorney‑led enforcement.

Two bills discussed at length were Intro 177, sponsored by the chair, which would require DCWP to run a student‑loan counseling program in coordination with DCAS, and Intro 4 10, sponsored by Council Member Riley, which would require certain retail stores that accept credit or debit cards to accept flexible benefits cards issued by health insurers. Council Member Riley said the flex‑benefits bill would “expand access, support our small businesses, and keep critical benefit dollars in our local communities,” noting that many seniors and people with disabilities rely on those funds but sometimes travel outside neighborhoods to use them.

Levine said DCWP supports the intent of both bills and described Intro 177 as a way to “turbocharge” existing financial empowerment center counseling and outreach. On Intro 4 10, Levine said the agency agrees consumers should be able to use benefits but warned that payment‑processing and IRS‑regulated system differences could impose technology and ongoing costs on small retailers; he told the committee DCWP will work with council staff and stakeholders to find a path that avoids undue burden on the smallest establishments.

Members also raised dynamic and “surveillance” pricing for rideshares and delivery apps. Levine said DCWP is exploring the limits of its current authorities to address deceptive or nontransparent pricing and welcomed partnership with the council on potential targeted legislation.

The hearing produced several follow‑up items: members requested a more detailed breakdown of complaints, inspection and summons pipelines, language and demographic data for complainants, and clearer restitution and OATH referral statistics. No formal votes were taken; the committee heard panels of advocates and business representatives and adjourned after public testimony.