Smith bills to aid job creators pass House unanimously
Rep. Norma Smith, lead Republican on economic development issues, had two bills pass the House of Representatives over the weekend. The measures are the first steps in providing a one-stop portal for businesses and reducing multi-jurisdictional government barriers to the private sector.
HB 1403 clarifies which agencies must supply information to the Business Licenses Service (BLS) and the types of information they must provide. Currently, BLS is administered by the Department of Revenue and only has a fraction of licensing information available on its Web site.
“The goal is to get all the licensing information in one place to make it easier for job creators to access the data. This legislation comes from a direct recommendation from the state auditor's report on regulatory reform,” said Smith, R-Clinton. “The auditor found a stunning failure of state government to provide customer service and information to employers. This is a short-term solution as we work toward a one-stop portal so we can provide the customer service our employers deserve.”
House Bill 1818 began as a discussion with innovators during a meeting with the Economic Development Commission.
“This legislation would launch a pilot multi-jurisdictional program that would pull businesses from a specific sector within a geographic locale and inventory all regulatory hurdles and make recommendations to streamline regulations and reduce barriers,” said Smith. “The government entities in the region would also be included – city, county, state agencies and other stakeholders. This is another good step in reducing duplicative rules and regulation and making our state a more competitive place to do business. I am very grateful for the assistance of the Department of Commerce to make this vision happen.”
The legislation would first work to address the manufacturing sector. A new sector is to be chosen each year by the Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission through 2019.
