Michigan’s regulatory systems have become more efficient for consumers and business customers as the Office of Regulatory Reinvention announced today the net rule reduction of more than 2,000 obsolete, burdensome and duplicative rules. The rules were rescinded while ensuring the state’s regulatory health, safety and consumer protections. Since Gov. Rick Snyder created the ORR in 2011 to increase the efficiency of Michigan’s government, the office has reviewed more than 19,000 rules and 900 rule sets, collected nearly 35,000 pages of non-rule regulatory actions and removed 3,573 unduly restrictive rules, with a net rule reduction of 2,127 administrative rules.
“Every rule in Michigan’s regulatory system impacts certain consumers, businesses and state workers,” said Snyder. “By eliminating bureaucratic red tape, the state has improved the delivery of our services, and can better protect Michiganders and allow our businesses to be successful.”
Many of the rules had not been reviewed in decades and a large number were found to be obsolete and in need of modernization. This continuous process of review and elimination has reduced the administrative burdens for state departments and made compliance issues more efficient for businesses and consumers.
“The ORR has and continues to work closely with all state departments, consumers and stakeholders in order to identify administrative rules that serve no regulatory purpose,” said Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Mike Zimmer. “The success of the ORR is not found in the rescission of one needless rule, but in the elimination of thousands of unnecessary regulatory requirements that allow state government to make more efficient use of our resources.”
Examples of Rules Eliminated:
Unnecessary: Rules were rescinded eliminating the “Seal of Quality” for agricultural products. The program had not been active in more than three decades.
Unenforceable: Rules were rescinded eliminating the unenforceable and unnecessary mandate that child care workers must smile.
Obsolete: A number of rules were severely out of date in there references to technology. A 1979 rule contained a requirement that payments be made by check/money order.
Burdensome: Rules will were eliminated that required drivers to park their vehicles frontward in state government parking lots.
A complete list of rules rescinded can be found here.
Many of these rescinded rules are the result of a stakeholder-driven process that utilized eight Advisory Rules Committees (ARCs). Members of the ARCs came from a broad spectrum of stakeholders including the regulated communities, the relevant regulatory bodies and the general public, in addition to members of the ORR. All eight ARCs have publicly released more than 320 recommendations for streamlining and updating high impact regulatory areas: Environmental, Inspections & Permitting, Insurance & Finance, Liquor Control, Natural Resources, Occupational Licensing, Rulemaking and Workplace Safety.
Currently, 160 of the ORR’s ARC recommendations have been fully implemented, with many resulting in Public Acts. A complete list of the ORR’s implemented recommendations can be found here.
For more information on the ORR, visit: www.michigan.gov/orr
Source: LARA
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