[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading uncode_shortcode_id=”160804″]The 2022 Budget adopted by the DC Council in August 2021 funds the break-up of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) after a years-long battle and two Mayoral vetoes
[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”122532″]Here’s the Resolution citing the collapse of the building on Kennedy Street as one example among many of the agency’s “continued failures of Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and how those failures continue to endanger the lives of the District’s residents.” The resolution also points out DCRA’s conflicted mission to serve employers and workers, landlords and tenants. “While improvements have been made in services for business owners, construction owners and licensees, the most vulnerable among us are left behind. Workers, tenants, buyers, and neighbors continue to find the agency unresponsive to their needs, including a well-documented lack of enforcement of required licenses and permits.”Attorney and Children’s Law Center advocate Kathy Zeisel also cited inherent conflicts of interest among DCRA’s components as another main reason to split up the agency;“DCRA’s main customers are developers. They fast-track permits if you spend over $1 million. One of their main jobs is to make sure development goes safely and smoothly.” She added that this function inherently conflicts with another of DCRA’s primary duties: fining businesses for code violations. In FY 2020, DCRA issued $10 million in fines for housing violations but collected only about $70,000.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”690831″]Here’s how the change will work:[/vc_column_text][uncode_list uncode_shortcode_id=”199013″]
- Department of Buildings to issue permits, enforce building code and construction compliance, conduct building and construction inspections, and stop illegal construction.
- Office of Strategic Code Enforcement (sub-agency of Dept. of Buildings) tracks repeated code violators and promotes consistent standards and practices
- Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection manages business and professional licensing
[/uncode_list][uncode_list uncode_shortcode_id=”201459″]See our Tools page for more details.
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