Report Title:

Small Business

Description:

Removes the June 30, 2002 sunset date for the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and makes other changes to more effectively assist small businesses.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2707

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO SMALL BUSINESS.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds a need to continue to provide relief from unduly burdensome rules for small businesses by amending the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). The specific changes include:

1) Amending the definition of "small business" to focus regulatory relief efforts on those businesses too small to have the resources to respond to broad-based regulations;

2) Deleting the provision for a small business impact statement related to new or modified administrative rules in the absence of a uniform impact analysis process or standard of impact determination;

3) Allowing the small business regulatory review board to make nominations to fill board vacancies;

4) Deleting the petition to an agency for review of existing rules which duplicates the petition process in Section 91-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

5) Deleting the provision for a business defender to provide free legal services to small businesses cited by an agency; and

6) Making the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act and the small business regulatory review board permanent through removal of the sunset date.

SECTION 2. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by amending section 2 to amend the definition of "small business" in section -1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to read as follows:

""Small business" means a for-profit enterprise consisting of fewer than [two] one hundred full-time or part-time employees."

SECTION 3. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by amending section 2 to amend subsections (b) and (c) of section -5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to read as follows:

"(b) The board shall consist of eleven members, who shall be appointed by the governor pursuant to section 26-34. [Selection for the initial board shall come from a list of nominees submitted by the small business task force on regulatory relief. Thereafter, the nominations] Nominations to fill vacancies shall be made from names submitted by [any and all of the departmental advisory committees on small business.] the review board. The appointments shall reflect representation of a variety of [small] businesses in the State; provided that no more than two members shall be representatives from the same type of [small] business, and that there shall be at least two [small business] representatives from each county.

(c) All members of the board shall be either a current or former owner or officer of a [small] business and shall not be an officer or employee of the federal, state, or county government. [The governor shall appoint the initial chair-person of the board, and a] A majority of the board shall elect [subsequent chairpersons] the chairperson. The chairperson shall serve a term of not more than one year, unless removed earlier by a two-thirds vote of all members to which the board is entitled."

SECTION 4. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by amending section 5 to read as follows:

"SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1998, and shall be repealed as of June 30, [2002] 2004."

SECTION 5. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by amending section 2 to repeal section -2, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

["§ -2 Determination of small business impact; small business impact statement. (a) Prior to submitting proposed rules for adoption, amendment, or repeal under section 91-3, the agency shall determine whether the proposed rules affect small business, and if so, the availability and practicability of less restrictive alternatives that could be implemented. This section shall not apply to emergency rulemaking.

(b) If the proposed rules affect small business, the agency shall consider creative, innovative, or flexible methods of compliance for small businesses and prepare a small business impact statement to be submitted with the proposed rules to the departmental advisory committee on small business and the small business regulatory review board prior to providing notice for a public hearing. The statement shall provide a reasonable determination of the following:

(1) The businesses that will be directly affected by, bear the costs of, or directly benefit from the proposed rules;

(2) Description of the small businesses that will be required to comply with the proposed rules and how they may be adversely affected;

(3) In dollar amounts, the increase in the level of direct costs such as fees or fines, and indirect costs such as reporting, recordkeeping, equipment, construction, labor, professional services, revenue loss, or other costs associated with compliance;

(4) The probable monetary costs and benefits to the implementing agency and other agencies directly affected, including the estimated total amount the agency expects to collect from any additionally imposed fees and the manner in which the moneys will be used;

(5) The methods the agency considered or used to reduce the impact on small business such as consolidation, simplification, differing compliance or reporting requirements, less stringent deadlines, modification of the fines schedule, performance rather than design standards, exemption, or any other mitigating techniques;

(6) How the agency involved small business in the development of the proposed rules; and

(7) Whether the proposed rules include provisions that are more stringent than those mandated by any comparable or related federal, state, or county standards, with an explanation of the reason for imposing the more stringent standard.

(c) This chapter shall not apply to proposed rules adopted by an agency to implement a statute or ordinance that does not require an agency to interpret or describe the requirements of the statute or ordinance, such as federally-

mandated regulations which affords the agency no discretion

to consider less restrictive alternatives."]

SECTION 6. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by amending section 2 to repeal section -6, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

["§ -6 Petition for regulatory review. (a) In addition to the basis for filing a petition provided in section 91-6, any affected small business may file a written petition with the agency that has adopted the rules objecting to all or part of any rule affecting small business on any of the following grounds:

(1) The actual effect on small business was not reflected in, or significantly exceeded, the small business impact statement submitted prior to the adoption of the rules;

(2) The small business impact statement did not consider new or significant economic information that reveals an undue impact on small business; or

(3) These impacts were not previously considered at the public hearing on the rules.

(b) For rules adopted prior to the effective date of this chapter, an affected small business may file a written petition with the agency that adopted the rules objecting to all or part of any rules affecting small business on any of the following grounds:

(1) The rules created an undue barrier to the formation, operation, and expansion of small businesses in a manner that significantly outweighs its benefit to the public;

(2) The rules duplicate, overlap, or conflict with rules adopted by another agency or violate the substantive authority under which the rules were adopted; or

(3) The technology, economic conditions, or other relevant factors justifying the purpose for the rules have changed or no longer exist.

(c) Upon submission of the petition, the agency shall forward a copy of the petition to the board as notification of a petition filed under this chapter. The agency shall promptly consider the petition and may seek advice and counsel regarding the petition from the appropriate departmental advisory committee on small business. Within sixty days after the submission of the petition, the agency shall determine whether the impact statement or the public hearing addressed the actual and significant impact on small business. The agency shall submit a written response of the agency's determination to the small business review board within sixty days after receipt of the petition. If the agency determines that the petition merits the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule, it may initiate proceedings in accordance with section 91-3.

(d) If the agency determines that the petition does not

merit the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule, any affected small business may seek a review of the decision by the small business regulatory review board. The board shall promptly convene a meeting pursuant to chapter 92 for the purpose of soliciting testimony that will assist in its determination whether to recommend that the agency initiate proceedings in accordance with section 91-3. For rules adopted after the effective date of this chapter, the board may base its recommendation on any of the following reasons:

(1) The actual effect on small business was not reflected in, or significantly exceeded, the impact statement submitted prior to the adoption of the rules;

(2) The impact statement did not consider new or significant economic information that reveals an undue impact on small business; or

(3) These impacts were not previously considered at the public hearing on the rules.

(e) For rules adopted prior to the effective date of this chapter, the regulatory review board may base its recommendation to the agency on any of the following reasons:

(1) The rules created an undue barrier to the formation, operation, and expansion of small businesses in the State in a manner that significantly outweighs its benefit to the public;

(2) The rules duplicate, overlap, or conflict with rules adopted by another agency or violate the substantive authority under which the rules were adopted; or

(3) The technology, economic conditions, or other relevant factors justifying the purpose for the rules have changed or no longer exist.

(f) If the small business regulatory review board recommends that an agency initiate rulemaking proceedings for any reason provided in subsection (d) or (e), it shall submit to the legislature an evaluation report and the agency's response as provided in subsection (c). The legislature may subsequently take such action in response to the evaluation report and the agency's response as it finds appropriate.

(g) Nothing in this section shall entitle an affected small business to a contested case hearing under chapter 91."]

SECTION 7. Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, is amended by repealing section 3.

["SECTION 3. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to title 3 to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"CHAPTER

SMALL BUSINESS DEFENDER

§ -1 Small business defender. (a) There is established within the legislature a small business defender. The small business defender shall be appointed by the senate president and speaker of the house of representatives. The senate president and speaker of the house of representatives shall determine the salary of the small business defender. The senate president and speaker of the house of representatives may also appoint administrative support personnel who shall assist and support the small business defender.

(b) Unless otherwise specifically provided by law, and upon written request by a small business, the small business defender may represent, defend, and provide legal represen-tation to any small business, during any adjudicatory or contested proceeding involving any civil citation issued by a state or county agency in which the small business is a party; provided that the small business shall seek its own legal representation whenever the potential remedies against the small business may include fines or penalties that exceed $25,000 or may result in the suspension or revocation of a license. The small business defender shall have the discretion to accept or refuse any case for good cause. The small business defender may also engage in the following activities:

(1) Advocate and negotiate, upon consultation with the small business regulatory review board, with federal, state, and county agencies and officials on any matter relating to and promoting the interests of small business;

(2) Conduct investigations to secure information useful in the lawful administration of any provision in this chapter;

(3) Refer any appropriate matter to the auditor or ombudsman for examination or investigation; and

(4) Do any and all things necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

(c) Each small business shall waive and release any and all claims, damages, causes of action, and any request for relief made against the small business defender or staff, the State or counties, their officers, employees, or agents, and arising from the legal representation of the small business by the small business defender provided under this section.

§ -2 Annual report. The small business defender shall submit an annual report to the legislature detailing its activities and expenditures no later than twenty days prior to convening of the regular session."]

SECTION 8. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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