§ 3H — Director of Massachusetts permit regulatory office; one-stop licensing for businesses and development

[ Text of section effective until November 20, 2024. For text effective November 20, 2024, see below.]Section 3H. The secretary of economic development shall appoint the director of the Massachusetts permit regulatory office within the executive office of economic development. The director shall have experience with permitting and business development. The director shall serve as the state permit ombudsman to new and expanding businesses, to provide one-stop licensing for businesses and development in order to streamline and expedite the process of obtaining state licenses, permits, state certificates, state approvals, and other requirements of law, but not including divisions of the state secretary's office. The ombudsman shall facilitate communication between the municipality and state agencies. The Massachusetts permit regulatory office shall consult with each regional office of the Massachusetts office of business development and each regional office of the Massachusetts Development Financing Agency, in order to better serve local businesses.There shall be a permitting specialist within of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. It shall be the responsibility of the specialist to work with new and existing businesses to assist in their selection, application, and finalizing of permits, local approvals, licensing and regulations. The specialists shall communicate with the regional planning agencies and the municipal officials responsible for local review procedures, to determine the municipal perspective on the proposed project.The ombudsman shall file an annual report with the house and senate committees on ways and means by January 1 on the activities of the Massachusetts permit regulatory office and the interagency permitting board, including legislative recommendations on business development and expansion efforts.The secretary shall appoint a regulatory ombudsman to address regulatory matters of interest to the business community. The regulatory ombudsman shall work in partnership with the state permitting ombudsman to provide assistance to businesses in the process of complying with state regulations and other requirements of law that affect businesses. The regulatory ombudsman shall facilitate communication between individual businesses and state agencies and provide periodic training to regulatory personnel in state agencies on how to identify the small business impacts of regulation, how to reduce those impacts and how to expedite and streamline the process or compliance.Chapter 23A: Section 3H. Permit regulatory office; director; regulatory ombudsman; annual report[ Text of section as amended by 2024, 238, Sec. 40 effective November 20, 2024. For text effective until November 20, 2024, see above.]Section 3H. (a) There shall be a permit regulatory office within the executive office of economic development. The secretary of economic development shall appoint a person with experience in permitting and business development to serve as the director of the permit regulatory office. The director of the permit regulatory office shall: (i) serve as the state permit ombudsman to new and expanding businesses; (ii) work with other state agencies, but not including divisions of the state secretary's office, to expedite the process of obtaining state licenses, permits, state certificates, state approvals and other requirements of law; (iii) provide technical assistance to municipalities interested in streamlining local permitting processes; (iv) review and approve or deny municipal priority development site proposals made pursuant to chapter 43D and monitor the development of priority development sites; (v) subject to appropriation, administer and award technical assistance grants pursuant to chapter 43D; and (vi) support the administration of the growth districts initiative as defined in chapter 43E. The permit regulatory office shall consult with the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, the secretary of housing and livable communities and the secretary of transportation prior to approving or denying a proposed priority development site; provided, that for local review procedures the regulatory office shall consult with relevant municipal officials and regional planning agencies responsible for local review procedures.(b) There shall be a regulatory ombudsman within the permit regulatory office to address regulatory matters of interest to the business community. The regulatory ombudsman shall work in partnership with the state permitting ombudsman to assist businesses in the process of complying with state regulations and other requirements of law that affect businesses. The regulatory ombudsman shall facilitate communication between individual businesses and state agencies and provide periodic training to regulatory personnel in state agencies on how to identify the small business impacts of regulation, how to reduce those impacts and how to expedite and streamline the process or compliance.(c) The director of the permit regulatory office shall file an annual report with the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than January 1 detailing the activities of the permit regulatory office.