The Baltimore City Council advanced a plan to create a city department of consumer protection Tuesday, a move that comes just weeks after President Donald Trump shuttered a national agency safeguarding consumers.

By a vote of 3-1, the council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee chose to recommend the proposal, which would centralize the city’s business permits in one office and create a board with the power to cite businesses that violate city laws.

“The establishment of the Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing represents a critical step toward making a Baltimore city that is reliable, predictable and efficient in its business interactions, while holding those who exploit our residents and communities accountable,” Councilman Ryan Dorsey, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee.

Baltimore’s office would enforce the city’s consumer protection laws, which regulate trespass towing, auctions, scrap collection, pawn brokers and fuel sales among other things. Licenses overseen by the office would span a broad swath, from peep shows and massage parlors to carriages and wagons.

The office would have the power to investigate complaints, using subpoena powers if necessary, and issue citations. An accompanying board could suspend a business’s license if it engages in unfair or deceptive practices.

The office, which is modeled after similar agencies in Howard and Montgomery counties, has backing from Mayor Brandon Scott and appears poised for approval by the council. Officials with the city’s Bureau of Revenue Collections, Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Community Development and the Baltimore Police Department, each of which oversee portions of the city’s business permitting process now, said they support the measure during Tuesday’s hearing.

Eric Friedman, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection, said offices like his have become even more important as technology has advanced and scams grow increasingly sophisticated.

“One small click in error and it can cause all sorts of financial harm to us,” he said.

Friedman argued the legislation was “more important than ever” as national consumer protection agencies have been targeted. This month, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, was ordered to stop work by its new leader, installed by Trump.

The president has targeted agencies across the federal government that he views as a wasteful or inefficient use of government funds. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, established under President Barack Obama, has repeatedly squared off against big businesses, particularly in the financial sector. Last year, the bureau sued Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo over allegations they failed to protect consumers from fraud related to the money-sharing app Zelle. Last month, the group sued Capital One over allegations it misled consumers about high-interest savings accounts.

Dorsey, who proposed legislation to create the office last council term that did not advance out of committee, acknowledged the decimation of federal consumer protection efforts. However, the local office will have different powers than the federal bureau, he said.

“The time is always right for local government to take action to protect citizens,” Dorsey said.

City financial officials estimate the new office would require $1.5 million annually and a one-time cost of $150,000 to create the department. Some costs would be absorbed by the transfer of 10 employees from agencies that currently oversee some business licenses, said Budget Director Laura Larsen. The net impact on the annual budget is expected to be $625,000.

Larsen said some of that $625,000 cost could be covered by increases to business license fees, which have not been adjusted since 2008. City finance officials are currently reviewing all fees and will make recommendations for increases this summer, she said.

Of the four committee members in attendance at Tuesday’s hearing, only Councilman Antonio Glover voted against the proposed department. Glover questioned why a member of the City Council could not serve on the newly created consumer protection board. As drafted, the legislation calls for the mayor, City Council president and comptroller to make appointments to the group.

Hilary Ruley, an attorney for the city, said the Board of Ethics would need to weigh in, but there would likely be concerns with having a member of the council serving in a “quasi-judicial” function on the board, she said.

Dorsey said he looked at similar departments that exist across the country, and none of their regulatory bodies included elected officials.

The committee’s vote Tuesday advanced the legislation to the full council for consideration. If passed, the law would take effect 90 days after it is signed. The council will meet next on March 10.