The Office of Business Permits was established in 1978 (Chapter 770) to maintain and provide information on business related permits and licenses. The agency was reconstituted in 1984 (Chapter 698) as the Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance and expanded its authority to include the review of State agency rule making procedures. The Laws of 1987, Chapter 610 further expanded the agency's duties to include helping to ensure that State agencies do not impose requirements that constitute rules without complying with the rule making process under the State Administrative Procedures Act. In 1993 (Executive Order No. 108.1), the agency name was changed to the Office of Regulatory Management and Assistance to reflect the transfer of management consulting functions previously carried out by the Governor's Office of Management and Productivity. By executive order in 1995 (No. 20), Governor George Pataki established the position of State Director of Regulatory Reform and established a new structure for rulemaking in State government. The order also placed the new director at the administrative head of the Office of Regulatory Management and Assistance and changed the name of the office to the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform.
Web Site Topic:
The Office of Regulatory Reform is responsible for oversight of the regulatory processes carried out by State agencies. The Office maintains and provides comprehensive State license and permit information to new and expanding businesses and seeks continuously to improve and expedite the permitting and licensing procedures that affect businesses and local governments. Other functions include analyzing the impact of proposed and existing agency rules on matters such as public health, safety, and welfare, as well as job creation; making recommendations for simplifying the regulations and regulatory processes of State agencies; requesting that agencies prepare cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments regarding the effects that proposed rules will have on the creation and retention of jobs in the State; requesting that agencies work with interested or effected parties to reach consensus on appropriate regulatory processes; and recommending amendment or repeal of existing rules that the Office determines to be obsolete, harmful to the economy or job growth in the State, or excessive in view of applicable State or federal laws and regulations.
L. 1978, Ch. 770; L. 1984, Ch. 698; L. 1987, Ch. 610; Executive Order 108.1, 1993; Executive Order 20, 1995.
