Virginia was just named America’s top state for business! Agencies’ ongoing work to reduce regulatory burdens under Executive Order 19 played a big role in achieving that ranking. Here are a handful of recent major wins.

 

DMAS eliminates over 4600 requirements by cutting documents incorporated by reference.

Agencies often incorporate outside documents into their regulations. This can be an efficient way of requiring regulated parties to comply with standards issued by private bodies or the federal government without having to reprint those standards (which can be 1000s of pages). 

Despite its advantages, incorporating by reference also creates the risk that the incorporated standards will become out of date. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) recently determined that the documents incorporated in its regulations on assuring high-quality care for Medicaid patients were all out-of-date or were never intended to be binding. 

DMAS recently initiated a fast-track action to eliminate these documents. This action cuts 4,686 requirements, which represent nearly 48% of all DMAS’s requirements. And this action alone eliminates 2.7% of all the requirements in the entire Virginia Administrative Code. 

Big congratulations to DMAS for crushing the 25% reduction target and making a big contribution towards Executive Order 19’s overall reduction goal!

 

DEQ saves Virginia Citizens $234 million per year by modernizing its Stormwater Management Handbook.

Regulatory compliance shouldn’t involve a one-size-fits-all approach. There are often many ways of achieving the same goal. And different regulated parties may prefer different approaches to achieving compliance. 

The Department of Environmental Quality recognized this fact when it recently undertook some major changes to its Stormwater Management Handbook. 

First of all, DEQ massively simplified the document, shortening it from over 11,000 pages to around 2250. This is about an 80% reduction in length, and it slimmed down a tome that was almost two feet in width (24”) to around 5”! 

Second of all, DEQ gave regulated parties some additional options, expanding the number of possible compliance pathways from 54 to 77.  This will allow businesses to find the most economical way of complying. 

All told, these changes will speed up plan development and review by about a month, which will save businesses around $234 million per year.

Download ORM Highlights: July 2024.