Office of Regulatory Reinvention Creates Occupational Licensing Advisory Rules Committee ORR requests citizens to serve on these committees

Contact: John Groen 517-373-9280

Agency: Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

JUNE 7, 2011 - Today, the Office of Regulatory Reinvention (ORR) announced that it will form an Occupational Licensing Advisory Rules Committee and is now accepting applications from citizens to serve on this committee. The Advisory Rules Committee will assist in reviewing rules and making specific recommendations for rule changes. Executive Order 2011-5 contemplates that, as part of its effort to obtain input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, the ORR will create certain Advisory Rules Committees. The deadline to apply to serve on these committees is Friday, June 24, 2011.

"By forming this committee, the Office of Regulatory Reinvention is accelerating our efforts to streamline Michigan's regulatory environment," said Steve Hilfinger, Michigan's Chief Regulatory Officer and director of the ORR. "The goal is to develop a simplified regulatory system that is more conducive to business growth and job creation. We want to make sure that our occupational licensing is supporting business growth, and otherwise serves important state health and safety interests."

The Advisory Rules Committee will function for 120 days after formation, unless that date is extended by the ORR. Each Advisory Rules Committee will issue a report to the ORR containing advisory recommendations, upon the completion of its work. The Advisory Rules Committee will evaluate rules based of the factors listed in Executive Order 2011-5, including the health and safety benefits of the rules; the cost of compliance with the rules; whether the rules are duplicative or obsolete; and other factors. Ultimately, the ORR will submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor, based in part on the reports of each Advisory Rules Committee.

The ORR has already created three other advisory rules committees: Insurance & Finance, Environmental and Workplace Safety. To view the membership of these committees, visit www.michigan.gov/orr. Other Advisory Rules Committees will also be formed in the future, to address other areas of regulation, according to Hilfinger.

In addition to forming Advisory Rules Committees, the ORR will provide interested parties with the opportunity to share their perspectives on the regulatory environment by, among other things, inviting the submission of comments online and by providing for public comment as part of any formal rulemaking process mandated by the Administrative Procedures Act.

Governor Snyder created the ORR in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Michigan's government. The primary goal of the ORR is to work with the various state departments to amend duplicative, obsolete, unnecessary or unduly restrictive rules. This will lead to a regulatory environment that is simple, fair, efficient, transparent and conducive to business growth and job creation.

Governor Snyder has directed the ORR to review all existing rules and regulations. The ORR has already identified nearly19,000 formal rules and regulations, in addition to the thousands of informal guidelines and actions that will be reviewed by the ORR. To monitor the progress of the ORR, visit its dashboard at www.michigan.gov/orr.

There will be approximately 10-15 members on the Advisory Rules Committee, as selected by the ORR. Committee members will come from a broad spectrum of stakeholders including members from the regulated communities, the relevant regulatory bodies and the general public.

To apply to be a member of the Occupational Licensing Advisory Rules Committee, citizens are advised to send their resume (or equivalent) and short purpose statement to ORR@michigan.gov. The purpose statement should include which committee the person seeks to serve on and a short explanation for why he or she would like to serve on that committee. These statements should be no longer than 250 words and are due by June 24, 2011.

All members will serve on a volunteer basis and are expected to attend regular meetings during the term of the Committee. The meeting schedule for the Committee will be announced at a later date.

For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/MichiganORR, "Like" us on Facebook or find us on YouTube www.youtube.com/michiganLARA.