§ 50–301.06. Department of For-Hire Vehicles – Organization.

(a) There is established within the DFHV the following offices and divisions:

(1) The Office of the Director, which shall be responsible for the management of the DFHV, including the final approval of any rulemaking and ratemaking conducted by the ORPP. The Office of the Director shall include the Director, the General Counsel, and the Chief of Staff, with subordinate staff responsible for:

(A) Administrative support;

(B) Human resources;

(D) Technology and information services;

(E) Contracting and procurement;

(F) Compliance with legislative directives, analysis, and opinions to ensure appropriate rulemaking and operational activities;

(G) Repealed.

(G-i) Auditing public vehicle-for-hire companies and payment service providers to the extent authorized by this subchapter, and regulations issued pursuant to this subchapter, including review of vehicle records to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and private vehicle-for-hire companies to the extent authorized by § 50-301.29g(b).

(H) Providing updated facts pertaining to operations and rulemaking through various communication platforms, including press releases, testimony, speech, and the DFHV website; and

(I) Serving as a liaison between the DFHV and the District Department of Transportation on policies related to transportation.

(2) The Office of Regulatory Policy and Planning, which shall be responsible for regulatory policy, and industry-wide research, analysis, and planning related to the regulation of the vehicle-for-hire industry. The ORPP shall be responsible for proposing ratemaking, rulemaking, and fee adjustments related to public vehicles-for-hire and submitting such proposals to the Office of the Director for final approval. The ORPP’s subordinate staff shall also be responsible for analyzing industry updates, market data, and trends for the purpose of planning, assessment, and rulemaking.

(3) The Office of Client Services, which shall be responsible for communicating with and educating the public and the vehicle-for-hire industry regarding rules, standards, rates, charges, and orders issued by the DFHV. The OCS’s subordinate staff shall also be responsible for:

(A) Administering all license examinations applicable to the public vehicle-for-hire industry;

(B) Providing all training and refresher courses required by this subchapter;

(C) Maintaining a system of electronic public records relating to licensed owners and operators of public vehicles-for-hire and public vehicle-for-hire companies, associations, and fleets, including:

(i) Developing, maintaining, and keeping current a body of information relating to public vehicle-for-hire industry operations within the District, regionally, and nationwide; and

(ii) Providing statistics, analyses, studies, and projections relating to matters such as revenue, operational costs, passenger carriage, profits, practices, and technologies pertaining to the public vehicle-for-hire industry;

(D) Maintaining accurate records of in-service public vehicles-for-hire and retaining those records for a minimum of 3 years;

(E) Communicating with the vehicle-for-hire industry and members of the public to inform them of agency procedures and regulations and solicit feedback to enhance public awareness;

(F) Accepting applications for licenses applicable to public vehicle-for-hire operators and vehicles and issuing new licenses and renewals;

(G) Collecting fees to recover the actual costs of producing and distributing official DFHV vehicle decals, stickers, and information placards; and

(H) Collecting any other fees authorized and collected pursuant to this subchapter.

(4) The Office of Compliance and Enforcement, which shall be responsible for:

(A) Repealed.

(B) Administering and enforcing all rules, rates, charges, and orders issued by the DFHV;

(D) Repealed.

(E) Inspecting public vehicles-for-hire for compliance with safety regulations established by the DFHV and the Department of Motor Vehicles;

(F) Performing vehicle-for-hire inspections and issuing notices of infraction; and

(G) Providing street enforcement of the rules and regulations of the DFHV through the use of vehicle inspection officers.

(5) The Office of Hearings and Conflict Resolution, which shall be responsible for conducting all hearings, adjudications, appeals, and any form of conflict resolution, including mediation. The OHCR’s subordinate staff shall also receive, document, and manage all complaints lodged against the owners and operators of public and private vehicles-for-hire, including taxicabs, taxicab companies, associations, fleets, and dispatch services, for the violation of any rule, regulation, order, rate, or law applicable to the vehicle-for-hire industry, and all complaints lodged against vehicle inspection officers.

(Mar. 25, 1986, D.C. Law 6-97, § 7, 33 DCR 703; May 10, 1988, D.C. Law 7-109, § 2(a), 35 DCR 2181; Apr. 9, 1997, D.C. Law 11-198, § 501(b), 43 DCR 4569; Oct. 22, 2012, D.C. Law 19-184, § 2(f), 59 DCR 9431; June 22, 2016, D.C. Law 21-124, § 401(f), 63 DCR 7076; Feb. 22, 2019, D.C. Law 22-224, § 2(b), 66 DCR 187.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 40-1706.

2001 Ed., § 50-306.

Effect of Amendments

The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-184 rewrote the section.

Emergency Legislation

For temporary amendment of section, see § 501(b) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Emergency Act of 1996 (D.C. Act 11-302, July 25, 1996, 43 DCR 4181, § 501(b) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Emergency Amendment Act of 1996 (D.C. Act 11-429, October 29, 1996, 43 DCR 6151, and § 501(b) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Congressional Adjournment Emergency Amendment Act of 1997 (D.C. Act 12-2, February 19, 1997, 44 DCR 1590).

For temporary (90 days) addition of D.C. Law 6-97, § 7a, concerning industry panel review of modernization regulations, see § 3(a) of the Livery Class Regulation and Ride-Sharing Emergency Amendment Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-169, September 27, 2013, 60 DCR 14736).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-130, July 30, 2013, 60 DCR 11384, 20 DCSTAT 1827).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-204, October 17, 2013, 60 DCR 15341, 20 DCSTAT 2311).

Temporary Legislation

For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 501(b) of Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Temporary Amendment Act of 1996 (D.C. Law 11-226, April 9, 1997, law notification 44 DCR 2584).

Effective Dates

Section 24(b) of D.C. Law 6-97 provided that sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 shall take effect 1 year after March 25, 1986.

Mayor's Orders

Designation of District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Panel on Rates and Rules and Panel on Consumer and Industry Concerns: See Mayor’s Order 97-64, April 2, 1997 ( 44 DCR 2176).