June 8, 2011
Regulatory reform headed for LePage
By The Mainebiz News Staff
The Maine Senate has approved numerous changes to the state's regulatory system, sending the measure to Gov. Paul LePage for his signature.
The Senate yesterday unanimously voted to pass LD 1, a bill initially submitted by Gov. Paul LePage based on feedback garnered from a series of statewide "red tape removal" hearings. The draft bill contained 63 regulatory changes, some of which were removed to be addressed separately or were modified by a legislative committee in April. The final version makes more than a dozen regulatory changes, according to a press release from Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, including:
- Authorization for agencies to conduct benefit/cost analysis of proposed rules;
- Creation of a business ombudsman within the Department of Economic and Community Development, charged with resolving problems between businesses and state agencies;
- Creation of a special advocate within the Office of the Secretary of State, who will advocate for small-business interests;
- Establishes a group to examine ways to reduce the amount of paperwork needed to file forms with the Office of the Secretary of State;
- Reduces the Board of Environmental Protection from 10 to seven members and limits its rule-making ability.
The House voted 147-3 in favor of the bill in mid-May.
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