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Council Member Julie Menin opens FY2026 preliminary budget hearing for DCWP
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3 min
Council Member Julie Menin, chair of the Consumer and Worker Protection Committee, opens the fiscal year 2026 preliminary budget hearing for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). She outlines the proposed budget, key topics to be discussed, and emphasizes the importance of DCWP's work in protecting New York consumers and workers.
- The proposed FY2026 budget for DCWP is $75.1 million, including $37.2 million for personal services supporting 475 full-time positions.
- Topics to be covered include the agency's performance in inspections and summons, the new Youth Financial Empowerment Program, and efforts to reduce illicit tobacco product sales.
- Menin acknowledges the agency's recent success in increasing compliance rates for tobacco sales to minors.
Julie Menin
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afternoon and welcome to the fiscal twenty twenty six preliminary budget hearing.
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My name is Julie Menon and I'm the chair of the Consumer and Worker Protection Committee.
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Today, we'll be reviewing the proposed budget of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
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Specifically, we will be assessing various DCWP programs and activities to ensure that the agency is serving the public in a fiscally responsible way as well as meeting the needs of various New Yorkers.
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For some context, the fiscal twenty twenty six preliminary budget for Department of Consumer and Worker Protection totals $75,100,000 which includes 37,200,000.0 in personal services to support four seventy five budgeted full time positions.
0:05:56
This is a sizable increase in the fiscal twenty twenty five adopted budget and today we'll discuss the reasons for this headcount increase as well as the agency's vacancy rates.
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DCWP's fiscal twenty twenty six budget also includes $38,000,000 for other than personal services to cover all other general operating expenses of the department.
0:06:19
These funds are primarily allocated to resolve consumer and worker complaints, issue a variety of licenses, educate and protect consumers, and of course ensure that businesses comply with the law.
0:06:31
At today's hearing, we'll examine the components of DCWP's budget.
0:06:35
We plan to cover a number of topics and I look forward to hearing about the agency's performance, particularly as it relates to conducting inspections and issuing summons.
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We also plan to discuss Office of Financial Impairment and its new Youth Financial Empowerment Program.
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The Office of Financial Empowerment is a very important part of DCWP, providing New Yorkers with invaluable financial literacy tools.
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We'd like to understand DCWP's goals for this new youth program, how the program will be rolled out, and how DCWP will monitor and assess this program.
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Last year, we spoke about what DCWP could do to help keep tobacco products out of children's hands.
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I want to note that since we last spoke about this, compliance rates have risen as enforcement efforts have increased.
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I want to thank you and the agency for all of your hard work in making this happen.
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We, of course, want to remain vigilant and continue to press this success to continue to reduce the amount of illicit tobacco product sales in the city.
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DCWP is an agency for every single New Yorker.
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I always like to say there's no New Yorker that does not have a consumer protection issue and it helps protect them from harmful business practices and supports workers and consumers in so many important ways.
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My own personal history working at the agency gives me a unique perspective on these issues that are of deep concern to all of us.
0:07:59
I look forward to this hearing on DCWP's preliminary plan and our continued collaboration in our efforts to ensure that New York is safe for all New Yorkers.
0:08:09
So, with that said, thank you.
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I wanna acknowledge colleagues who are here.
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We have council member Sean Abreu on Zoom, and I'll acknowledge additional colleagues as they come in.
0:08:20
So now I wanna call on representatives of the administration to testify.