| July Regulatory Streamlining Newsletter |
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| Newsletter |
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Welcome to the Regulatory Streamlining E-News, our regular digest of news and information on the regulatory streamlining initiative. Please drop me a line if you have any questions or suggestions.
Patrick Allen, Manager
Office of Regulatory Streamlining
(503) 947-7061
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| Annual Report |
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Our first annual report to the governor has been released, and is available here.
I say "our" report, but really it´s YOUR report, because you are the ones doing all the great work we´ve tried to capture here. In this 68 page document you will find recaps of the Executive Order and the Business Climate Survey, a discussion of lessons learned from the past year, a brief listing of state-wide streamlining projects, a rundown of the 2005 preliminary streamlining legislative agenda, and a detailed index of over 230 separate agency projects either completed or underway. There´s a lot of work all of you are doing - congratulations! There are also lots of great ideas for more projects, so I encourage you to see what other agencies are accomplishing and think about whether any of it would work in your agency.
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| Paperwork Reduction |
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The governor´s office was the scene last week of a blizzard of government paper. But this paper was a good thing. Nine different agencies highlighted projects they have implemented that reduce regulatory paperwork for businesses.
Congratulations to Water Resources, DEQ, Construction Contractors Board, the Board of Nursing, the Occupational Therapists Licensing Board, ODOT Motor Carrier Division, and the Department of Consumer & Business Services Finance & Corporate Securities and Workers´ Compensation Divisions and its Office of Minority, Women & Emerging Small Business. Together, these nine agencies, boards and divisions have saved Oregon businesses over 250,000 sheets of paper per year! A list of the projects is attached below.
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| Agency Focus |
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Electronic Inspections at the Health Licensing Office. Using wireless technology, Health Licensing Office enforcement officers can now issue proposed enforcement actions immediately onsite at inspections of cosmetology, body piercing and tattooing facilities. The system eliminates the need to send proposed actions via certified mail, saving the agency $5,000 annually and cutting the paperwork to licensees from an average of five pages to one 5 1/2 x 8 half-sheet.
A copy of a trade publication article about the system is found here. For more information, contact Kraig Bohot at HLO at kraig.bohot@state.or.us, or at (503) 378-8667 x4330.
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| 2005 Legislative Concepts |
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As of today, agencies have submitted over 40 legislative concepts that, in one way or another, streamline business regulations. The Office of Regulatory Streamlining is submitting a handful of concepts that are more general, or impact multiple agencies. Those concepts:
- Authorize licensing entities to offer licenses, permits and certificates for extended periods (up to five years as drafted) without needing separate legislative approval for each extended license.
- Clearly authorize use of e-mail for notices of intended rule making (jointly sponsored with the Dept. of Justice).
- Remove a variety of requirements for license applications being submitted under oath. Penalties for submitting false information will be retained, but this will remove a barrier to electronic commerce.
- Authorizing the establishment of alternative regulatory programs for "emerging technologies." An example would be an alternative to the existing state building code for new building materials not contemplated in the code. This concept is still being developed. If you have an interest in this topic, please let me know.
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| Practice Tip |
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More on Fiscal Impact Statements. Thanks to Lynda Dyer, rules coordinator at the Seniors and People with Disabilities Division at DHS for this list of questions they ask when they are developing fiscal impact statements:
- Are any state agencies likely to be economically affected by the rule change? If yes, which ones?
- Are any units of local government likely to economically affected by this rule change? If yes, which ones?
- Are any members of the public likely to be economically affected by the rule change? If yes, which ones?
- Can the agency provide an estimate of the economic impact on state agencies, units of local government and members of the public? If yes, what is the estimate for each?
- If the agency cannot provide an estimate of the economic impact on state agencies, units of local government or members of the public, does the statement of fiscal impact explain why an estimate is not possible?
- Has the agency used all available information to project any significant economic effect on businesses?
- Has the agency included a cost of compliance on small businesses affected?
- Does the agency need to provide a housing cost impact statement?
- Is the fiscal impact statement sufficient to notify those who might be economically affected to evaluate their position?
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| On the Web |
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The Office of Regulatory Streamlining Web site has been reorganized and, well, streamlined. Check it out at www.streamline.oregon.gov. In particular, look at the Tools for Agencies link. We´ve reorganized the information we have available here to make it easier to browse through. Also, if you have suggestions of other useful content, please let me know.
As always, if you have any questions or want more information, or if you have suggestions for this newsletter, please let me know.
Pat.
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