Hearing on County Bill to Revise the CCOC

There was a very interesting hearing at the County Council Thursday evening (Jan. 21). The subject was a bill to revise the CCOC, which sounds boring, but the hearing was as heated as could be with some predicting disaster if the bill is passed with its provisions to (a) switch the CCOC from the Office of Consumer Protection to the Office of Housing and Community Affairs, (b) exclude lawyers from serving on CCOC hearing panels because of their conflicts of interest (being neutral on hearing panels at the same time they are seeking clients who can include those seeking their votes at hearings), and (c) change the composition of the CCOC to include "average" citizens.

My proposal was for extensive and detailed training and education of CCOC members before or as soon as they join the CCOC, so they will have a thorough knowledge of the laws they apply and so they will have the skills to participate fully in hearing panels, including being chair and writing opinions, since that's what their duties are supposed to include. All the other provisions of the proposed law are relatively unimportant. All that really matters is proper and thorough education and training of CCOC members.