The bill amends existing laws related to small business regulatory fairness in administrative procedures by establishing the position of a small business ombudsman within the Department of Business Regulation. This ombudsman will be responsible for assisting small businesses with regulatory or licensing issues, gathering suggestions, feedback, and comments from small businesses regarding enforcement activities, and producing an annual public report to the General Assembly detailing the ombudsman's activities and providing legislative recommendations to improve the small business climate. The ombudsman will also provide assistance to petition agencies or licensing authorities as authorized under the law.

Additionally, the bill modifies the petition process for residents and businesses in Rhode Island to request changes to agency rules, policies, or procedures. It specifies that agencies must respond to petitions in writing within a specified timeframe, either denying the petition with justification or initiating rulemaking, policy, or procedure changes. Furthermore, the bill designates the small business ombudsman as the small business advocate for the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, expanding their role to include identifying small business concerns and informing them about proposed regulations that may impact them economically. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2343: 42-35.1-5, 42-35-6, 42-64-34