Office of People's Counsel seeks staffing increases as case load rises; advocates back enforcement of retail suppliers

The Office of People's Counsel (OPC) presented a fiscal 2025 allowance of $7,700,000, Samuel Quist told the subcommittee, an increase of about $655,000 (9.3%). OPC’s budget is largely funded by the public utility regulation fund; Quist said the FY2025 allowance includes roughly $3.6M for personnel and $3.5M for consulting.

Quist and OPC materials said case participation and workload have risen: OPC participated in 235 cases in FY2023, including 96 before the Public Service Commission, and the agency proposed 10 additional positions at an estimated $1.5M to sustain current workload and handle added responsibilities tied to environmental and federal work.

David Lapp (Maryland People’s Counsel) told the committee his office engages on federal PJM/FERC matters and on numerous PSC dockets and enforcement proceedings. Lapp and OPC criticized prior enforcement as too weak in some cases, cited delayed refunds for affected customers, and asked the committee to consider raising the statutory assessment cap so OPC can hire and retain experienced attorneys and investigators.

OPC staff and advocates described recruitment and retention challenges for specialized utility lawyers, high comp‑time levels from last year’s rate cases, and the workload tradeoff that occurs when staff must meet urgent deadlines and cannot pursue proactive enforcement work.

Why it matters: OPC is the statutory consumer advocate with growing case complexity and a workload that OPC says outpaces currently funded staffing; both OPC and external advocates argued that a modest cap increase tied to clear staffing targets would yield stronger consumer protection outcomes, especially against unscrupulous retail suppliers.

What’s next: The committee asked for a clearer fiscal mapping showing exactly how increased assessment revenue would translate into positions and enforcement capacity; OPC and advocates said they will provide that detail during the budget process.