BILL REQ. #:  H-2297.2 

READ FIRST TIME 03/07/05.   

     AN ACT Relating to regulatory fairness for small businesses; amending RCW 19.85.020, 19.85.030, and 19.85.040; adding a new section to chapter 19.85 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that:
     (1) A vibrant and growing small business sector is critical to creating jobs in a dynamic economy;
     (2) Small businesses bear a disproportionate share of regulatory costs and burdens;
     (3) Fundamental changes that are needed in the regulatory and enforcement culture of state agencies to make them more responsive to small business can be made without compromising the statutory missions of the agencies;
     (4) When adopting rules to protect the health, safety, and economic welfare of Washington, state agencies should seek to achieve statutory goals as effectively and efficiently as possible without imposing unnecessary burdens on small employers;
     (5) Uniform regulatory and reporting requirements can impose unnecessary and disproportionately burdensome demands including legal, accounting, and consulting costs upon small businesses with limited resources;
     (6) The failure to recognize differences in the scale and resources of regulated businesses can adversely affect competition in the marketplace, discourage innovation, and restrict improvements in productivity;
     (7) Unnecessary regulations create entry barriers in many industries and discourage potential entrepreneurs from introducing beneficial products and processes;
     (8) The practice of treating all regulated businesses the same leads to inefficient use of regulatory agency resources, enforcement problems, and, in some cases, to actions inconsistent with the legislative intent of health, safety, environmental, and economic welfare legislation;
     (9) Alternative regulatory approaches which do not conflict with the state objective of applicable statutes may be available to minimize the significant economic impact of rules on small businesses; and
     (10) The process by which state rules are developed and adopted should be reformed to require agencies to solicit the ideas and comments of small businesses, to examine the impact of proposed and existing rules on such businesses, and to review the continued need for existing rules.

Sec. 2   RCW 19.85.020 and 2003 c 166 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     ((Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise,)) The definitions in this section apply through this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Industry" means all of the businesses in this state in any one four-digit standard industrial classification as published by the United States department of commerce, or the North American industry classification system as published by the executive office of the president and the office of management and budget. However, if the use of a four-digit standard industrial classification or North American industry classification system would result in the release of data that would violate state confidentiality laws, "industry" means all businesses in a three-digit standard industrial classification or the North American industry classification system.
     (2) "Minor cost" means a cost per business that is less than three-tenths of one percent of annual revenue or income, or one hundred dollars, whichever is greater, or one percent of annual payroll.
     (3) "Small business" means any business entity, including a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity, that is owned and operated independently from all other businesses, and that has fifty or fewer employees.
     (((2))) (4) "Small business economic impact statement" means a statement meeting the requirements of RCW 19.85.040 prepared by a state agency pursuant to RCW 19.85.030.
     (((3) "Industry" means all of the businesses in this state in any one four-digit standard industrial classification as published by the United States department of commerce. However, if the use of a four-digit standard industrial classification would result in the release of data that would violate state confidentiality laws, "industry" means all businesses in a three-digit standard industrial classification.))

Sec. 3   RCW 19.85.030 and 2000 c 171 s 60 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In the adoption of a rule under chapter 34.05 RCW, an agency shall prepare a small business economic impact statement: (a) If the proposed rule will impose more than minor costs on businesses in an industry; or (b) if requested to do so by a majority vote of the joint administrative rules review committee within forty-five days of receiving the notice of proposed rule making under RCW 34.05.320. However, if the agency has completed the pilot rule process as defined by RCW 34.05.313 before filing the notice of a proposed rule, the agency is not required to prepare a small business economic impact statement.
     An agency shall prepare the small business economic impact statement in accordance with RCW 19.85.040, and file it with the code reviser along with the notice required under RCW 34.05.320. An agency shall file a statement prepared at the request of the joint administrative rules review committee with the code reviser upon its completion before the adoption of the rule. An agency shall provide a copy of the small business economic impact statement to any person requesting it.
     (2) Based upon the extent of disproportionate impact on small business identified in the statement prepared under RCW 19.85.040, the agency shall, where legal and feasible in meeting the stated objectives of the statutes upon which the rule is based, reduce the costs imposed by the rule on small businesses. Methods to reduce the costs on small businesses may include:
     (a) Reducing, modifying, or eliminating substantive regulatory requirements;
     (b) Simplifying, reducing, or eliminating recordkeeping and reporting requirements;
     (c) Reducing the frequency of inspections;
     (d) Delaying compliance timetables;
     (e) Reducing or modifying fine schedules for noncompliance; or
     (f) Any other mitigation techniques.
     (3) If the agency determines it cannot reduce the costs imposed by the rule on small businesses, the agency shall provide a clear explanation of why it has made that determination and include that statement with its filing of the proposed rule pursuant to RCW 34.05.320.

Sec. 4   RCW 19.85.040 and 1995 c 403 s 403 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A small business economic impact statement must include a brief description of the reporting, recordkeeping, and other compliance requirements of the proposed rule, and the kinds of professional services that a small business is likely to need in order to comply with such requirements. It shall analyze the costs of compliance for businesses required to comply with the proposed rule adopted pursuant to RCW 34.05.320, including costs of equipment, supplies, labor, professional services, and increased administrative costs. It shall consider, based on input received, whether compliance with the rule will cause businesses to lose sales or revenue. To determine whether the proposed rule will have a disproportionate cost impact on small businesses, the impact statement must compare the cost of compliance for small business with the cost of compliance for the ten percent of businesses that are the largest businesses required to comply with the proposed rules using one or more of the following as a basis for comparing costs:
     (a) Cost per employee;
     (b) Cost per hour of labor; or
     (c) Cost per one hundred dollars of sales.
     (2) A small business economic impact statement must also include:
     (a) A statement of the steps taken by the agency to reduce the costs of the rule on small businesses as required by RCW 19.85.030(((3))) (2), or reasonable justification for not doing so, addressing the options listed in RCW 19.85.030(((3))) (2);
     (b) A description of how the agency will involve small businesses in the development of the rule; and
     (c) A list of industries that will be required to comply with the rule. However, this subsection (2)(c) shall not be construed to preclude application of the rule to any business or industry to which it would otherwise apply.
     (3) To obtain information for purposes of this section, an agency may survey a representative sample of affected businesses or trade associations and should, whenever possible, appoint a committee under RCW 34.05.310(2) to assist in the accurate assessment of the costs of a proposed rule, and the means to reduce the costs imposed on small business.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 19.85 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The small business advocacy committee is created. The committee shall be comprised of seven members: (a) Two members of the house of representatives, who must be members of the joint administrative rules review committee, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, from each of the two major caucuses of the house of representatives; (b) two members of the senate, who must be members of the joint administrative rules review committee, appointed by the president of the senate, from each of the two major caucuses of the senate; and (c) three small business owners or their designees, appointed by the governor. The business owners, who shall serve two-year terms, shall make recommendations to the governor regarding their replacements at the end of their terms.
     (2) The small business advocacy committee is charged with reviewing small business economic impact statements. If a majority of the members find that a proposed rule will have a disproportionate impact on small businesses and the proposed mitigation by an agency does not meet the requirements of RCW 19.85.030(2), the committee shall make recommendations to the agency for additional mitigation measures.