District of Columbia legislation · 26th Council
District of Columbia B174: Enhancing Consumer Protection Procedures Amendment Act of 2025
Status: Signed into law, October 9, 2026
As introduced, Bill 26-174 would enhance consumer protections by providing enhanced remedies to secure compliance, authorize fines, costs and fees for failure to fully comply with an investigative subpoena regarding a consumer protection case. It grants additional consumer protection enforcement authority to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. It would prohibit retaliation for consumer complaints and aiding and abetting prohibited trade practices. It would authorize asset freezes as injunctive relief and set mandatory minimum penalties for violations and allow for the recovery of legal costs in actions involving the Attorney General. It would authorize the use of interrogatories in investigations. It would specify that service may be made by any method reasonably calculated to give actual notice. It would allow use of sworn investigative statements for perjury prosecutions and allow the Mayor and the Office of the Attorney General to issue rules. FISCAL NOTE - This bill was passed Subject to Appropriations. Bill fully funded via Act 26-416. Please see Fiscal Impact Statement and Funding Certification Letter for more information.
What the bill says
To amend Title I ofthe Attorney General for the District ofColumbiaClarification and Elected Term Amendment Actof2010 to authorize theuseofinterrogatories in investigations; to amend the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation ofVulnerableAdults and the ElderlyAct of2000 to clarify that injunctive reliefmay includeaffirmative action; and to amend Chapter 39ofTitle28of the District ofColumbia Official Code to clarify its application and provide enhanced remedies to secure compliance, to authorize fines, costs, and fees forfailureto fully comply with an investigative subpoena, to clarify that.
From the enrolled text, June 25, 2026:
To amend Title I ofthe Attorney General for the District ofColumbiaClarification and Elected Term Amendment Actof2010 to authorize theuseofinterrogatories in investigations; to amend the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation ofVulnerableAdults and the ElderlyAct of2000 to clarify that injunctive reliefmay includeaffirmative action; and to amend Chapter 39ofTitle28of the District ofColumbia Official Code to clarify its application and provide enhanced remedies to secure compliance, to authorize fines, costs, and fees forfailureto fully comply with an investigative subpoena, to clarify that FederalTradeCommission precedents shouldbe interpreted in a manner mostfavorable to consumers, to grant additional consumerprotection enforcement authority to the Department ofLicensing and ConsumerProtection, to clarifythat theOffice of Administrative Hearings hasjurisdiction over appeals ofaction takenby the Department ofLicensing and Consumer Protection, to clarify that unlawful and abusivetrade practices are prohibited, to provide that overcharging consumers forgoods and services, failure to post theprice ofgoods, services andmerchandise, and the failure to comply with construction industry standards are unfairand deceptive tradepractices, toprohibit retaliation for consumercomplaints and aiding and abetting prohibitedtradepractices, to clarify complaint procedures, to expressly authorize asset freezes as injunctive relief, to setmandatoryminimum penalties forviolations and recoveryofcosts and fees for enforcement and investigative measures in Attormey General actions, to require confidentiality agreements and protective orders entered into by the Attorney General to permit sharing confidential documents with law enforcement agencies abidingby the agreementorprotective order, to authorizethe …