IDFPR Honored with CLEAR Regulatory Excellence Award

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) has received the 2025 Regulatory Excellence Award from the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR). This international honor recognizes DPR’s leadership in modernizing professional regulation, improving customer service, and reducing barriers for more than 1.2 million licensed professionals in Illinois. IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. praised the award as a testament to Illinois’ innovation and commitment to creating a more transparent and efficient licensing system centered on people.

Under the leadership of Director Camile Lindsay, DPR launched a comprehensive modernization initiative that integrated technology, policy reform, and community engagement. The highlight of this transformation was the October 2024 rollout of CORE (Comprehensive Online Regulatory Environment), a fully digital platform replacing a decades-old system and serving all 120 regulated professions.

Beyond technology, DPR introduced service and policy improvements to enhance efficiency and accessibility. These included streamlining paper application reviews, launching online payment pilots, and expanding outreach through virtual office hours and community events. The agency also implemented accommodations for military families and virtual appointments for applicants. In 2024 alone, DPR issued over 120,000 licenses, a 14% increase from the previous year, and maintained customer satisfaction scores above the 90th percentile, with users calling the new CORE system “seamless” and “easy to understand.”