Governor signs bill to improve Rhode Island’s regulatory climate for businesses
STATE HOUSE — The General Assembly has passed and the governor has signed a bill sponsored by Sen. William J. Conley Jr. (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket) and Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) that seeks to improve the state’s regulatory climate by amending the Administrative Procedures Act.
The legislation (2016-S 3015aa, 2016-H 7395A) will help small business by modernizing administrative practices through utilizing the Model State Administrative Procedures Act. Rhode Island has already adopted an older version of this nationally recognized best practices document. This update will allow the state to modernize and make better use of web-based technology for increased access and transparency.
An amendment to the bill requires the secretary of state to publish online a full set of regulations from all agencies in a searchable format.
The Office of Regulatory Reform has worked extensively with the secretary of state’s office, state agencies and external stakeholders to build system capacity for these anticipated reforms. Rhode Island is the only state in New England — and one of five nationally — lacking an organized regulatory code. The legislation will also reduce regulatory clutter by establishing a one-time, opt-in provision that will eliminate outdated regulations by 2019.
The legislation also seeks to increase public participation and transparency of the regulatory process through web-based technology updates. The public will be better informed through the use of live rulemaking agendas that reflect up-to-date agency goals and objectives. In addition, agencies will be given a statutory mechanism to gather information from the public through workshops and committees on future rulemaking proceedings.
Source: http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/pressrelease/_layouts/RIL.PressRelease.ListStructure/Forms/DisplayForm.aspx?List=c8baae31-3c10-431c-8dcd-9dbbe21ce3e9&ID=12078&Web=2bab1515-0dcc-4176-a2f8-8d4beebdf488