Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

All too often the relationship between state agencies and the entities which they regulate is adversarial and impedes compliance with regulatory requirements.  With compliance as the objective, these state agencies and applicants need to work collaboratively to ensure conformity with regulations instead of creating a punitive environment. When government joins together to work with the regulated community, we can see great economic growth, success and compliance.   
   
In the near future, I will be reintroducing Senate Bill 557 from last session, to encourage such collaboration by requiring that each agency designate an employee as the agency’s regulatory compliance officer. This officer would be tasked with being accessible to the regulated community and working with them to explain regulations and resolve noncompliance issues before imposing penalties.   
   
Additionally, the legislation will contain a safe harbor provision allowing a regulated entity to request an advisory opinion from the compliance officer regarding the requester’s duties under a regulation. The requester would then be protected when they act in reliance on any advice provided.   

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Governor Shapiro have both indicated a need for greater transparency when it comes to permitting reform. This legislation would do exactly that: it would provide assistance and transparency to applicants as they are working through the permitting process. 
   
Pennsylvania needs to be a place where businesses come to grow and thrive, and government should not be a deterrence to that economic progress. This piece of legislation is one way to improve the state’s regulatory culture and to reduce burdens for businesses and ultimately for consumers.   
   
Please join me in cosponsoring this important piece of legislation. Previous cosponsors were Senators Dush, Martin, J. Ward, and Rothman.