Virginia agencies are making huge strides on their regulatory modernization efforts under Executive Order 19.  At last count, agencies had cut or streamlined over 17% of all regulatory requirements.  And they have reduced guidance document length by more than 29%.  All told, these changes are saving Virginia citizens more than $1.2 billion per year!  Here are just a few of the high points from the last few weeks.

 

VDACS reduces fees for pesticide professionals.

Agencies that certify professionals generally charge fees for obtaining a new license or renewing an existing one.  This helps cover the agencies’ costs in administering the licensing program.  But fees that are too high can cut into professionals’ pocketbook or even keep people out of the profession entirely.

In a recent action, the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services decided it could cut fees for pesticide professionals.  This action will reduce fees by half in several cases.  This change will allow hard-working businesses that distribute or apply pesticides to keep more of their annual earnings.  And it should hopefully attract more professionals to the market, helping to keep prices down.

 

Several agencies implement significant cuts to guidance documents.

Guidance documents are designed to provide information on complying with statutory or regulatory law.  In the past, agencies have also posted a lot of other materials like instruction manuals, one-time notices, provider lists, and other documents on Town Hall as “guidance documents.”  Though these materials are helpful to the public and should be posted on agency websites, they do not meet the legal definition of “guidance.”

In this light, all Virginia agencies have taken a close look at the documents they list on Town Hall, and many have made substantial cuts.  Notable cuts in the last few weeks include the following:

• Norfolk State University cut 100% of its documents on Town Hall. It joins James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Virginia Military Institute as higher education institutions that have achieved a 100% guidance document reduction.
  
  
• The Department of Social Services made significant reductions to the SNAP Manual, including eliminating several out-of-date versions of the document. All told, these changes resulted in a nearly 10% reduction in aggregate length across all VDSS guidance documents.
  
  
• The Department of Motor Vehicles removed sample forms from three of its guidance documents (see GDForum ID: 2594, GDForum ID: 2593, and GDForum ID: 2592). With these changes, DMV has now hit the 20% reduction target for calendar year 2024.

Download ORM Highlights: Mid-October 2024.