City Council Seeks $32M More for Worker & Consumer Enforcement as DCWP Proposes $78.4M Budget, 77 New Hires and 19% Vacancy Rate

The New York City Council held a joint FY27 executive budget hearing on May 29, 2026, about the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), focusing on whether the Council will secure an additional $32 million the Council requested for enforcement of recently passed worker and consumer protections, DCWP’s FY27 executive budget of $78.4 million, the planned hire of 77 new lines in FY27 (part of 181 authorized lines by 2029), and DCWP’s current 19.3% vacancy rate. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

# What’s happening
– The Council requested an additional $32 million for DCWP enforcement and implementation. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– DCWP’s executive FY27 budget is $78.4 million, with 77 new lines in FY27. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Commissioner Sam Lavine said the executive budget’s authorized 181 headcount will meet current needs. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

# Why it matters
– Workers, consumers, and small businesses subject to new local laws are affected by enforcement capacity. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Funding determines DCWP’s ability to investigate complaints, issue penalties, and run outreach and legal services. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

# Key details
– Hearing date: May 29, 2026, City Hall, joint Committee on Consumer and Worker Protections and Committee on Finance. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– DCWP proposed FY27 budget: $78.4 million, a $3.7 million increase from the preliminary plan. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Council’s requested augmentation: $32 million for DCWP to enforce recent consumer and worker protections. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Staffing changes: 77 new lines in FY27, total authorized headcount rising to 181 by 2029; DCWP reported a 19.3% vacancy rate. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Enforcement staff noted: the Office of Labor Policy and Standards (OOLPS) has 54 staff working on laws now. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Compliance and complaint figures cited: roughly 56,000 employers received compliance warnings after Earn Safe and Sick Time amendments; since the Fair Act took effect June 11, 2025, DCWP received over 1,400 broker-fee complaints and reported 73 summons and awards by OATH. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

Sam Lavine (first mention fact block)
**Sam Lavine**
– Role or jurisdiction: Commissioner, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Action taken or responsibility: Testified to the Council about DCWP’s FY27 executive budget and staffing plans. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Relevant numbers or dates: Said DCWP’s FY27 executive budget is $78.4 million; cited 77 new lines in FY27 and 181 authorized headcount by 2029. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (first mention fact block)
**Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)**
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency enforcing consumer and worker protection laws in New York City. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Action taken or responsibility: Implements local laws, issues compliance warnings, investigates complaints, and runs outreach and financial empowerment services. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ
– Relevant numbers or dates: Executive FY27 budget $78.4 million; 77 new lines in FY27; 19.3% vacancy rate reported. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

The Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protections pressed DCWP about a Council request for an additional $32 million to support enforcement of recent local laws. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

Commissioner Sam Lavine testified that the executive budget’s authorized 181 headcount will be sufficient to meet currently enacted laws, and said he had not yet reviewed the Council’s $32 million proposal in detail. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

DCWP described how the mayor’s executive financial plan included a net increase of $3.7 million for DCWP in FY27, funded in part by adding 77 positions in FY27, 76 positions in FY28, and 28 positions in FY29. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

DCWP officials said the agency has a 19.3% vacancy rate and is moving to hire to close vacancies and fill the 77 new lines authorized in FY27. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

DCWP said its Office of Labor Policy and Standards (OOLPS) employs investigators, attorneys, and data scientists, and currently has 54 staff working across the agency’s laws. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

On enforcement data, DCWP reported issuing compliance warnings to roughly 56,000 employers after Earn Safe and Sick Time amendments to educate businesses about obligations rather than open investigations broadly. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

DCWP also reported receiving over 1,400 complaints related to illegal broker fees since the Fair Act took effect on June 11, 2025, and noted about 73 summons and monetary awards reported by OATH. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

DCWP described planned outreach and public education goals, saying the agency does about 600 outreach events annually and aims for roughly 760 events per year, and that outreach staff were receiving three additional positions under new needs. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

In earlier coverage, advocates and legal-services groups urged a much larger DCWP budget increase, including calls to double the agency’s budget to about $130 million for FY27 and requests for additional baseline funding for legal services. This reporting came from an earlier Council preliminary-budget hearing. Source (earlier coverage): https://youtu.be/p0zqCs4f7Gk

The Council set dates for further public testimony and follow-up in the FY27 budget process, including public testimony on June 10, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ

Source: https://youtu.be/8XE1BA8XWtQ