Bill H.4511

FILED ON: 1/31/2022

HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4511

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

An Act relative to streamlining licensure, compliance, and contracting opportunities.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 93 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:–

Section 115. (a) There is hereby established within the division of occupational licensure, hereinafter referred to as the “division”, a one-stop online portal to streamline licensure applications, permitting requirements and business registration. The one-stop online portal shall be designed to serve as a single, unified entry point for individuals and business owners to access and complete relevant initial and ongoing state services and requirements in relation to the creation or ongoing operation of a business located in the commonwealth. The division shall manage and implement the portal based on the results of an assessment conducted by the division to provide guidance in the creation and implementation of the one-stop online portal.

(b) The division shall prepare an assessment detailing recommendations for the creation, ongoing operation and management of the one-stop online portal, to be filed with the governor, the state secretary and the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate not later than December 31, 2023. This assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) An estimate of the costs for full implementation of the portal, including those associated with technology, maintenance, sharing agency data, information security and other start-up costs;

(2) An estimate of the costs of establishing and maintaining a call center staffed with persons trained to answer questions and help businesses obtain information and services, along with a recommendation as to where the call center should be located and the number of staff necessary to operate it;

(3) Recommendations on the location, design, accessibility, and functionality of the portal;

(4) Recommendations as to the role of additional state agencies regarding the day-to-day operational management of the portal;

(5) Recommendations on the timeline for developing and testing the portal;

(6) Identification of any statutory or regulatory changes that need to be made to existing law to effectuate the portal's functionality;

(7) Identification of other state agencies that possess similar functions and content to those of the portal so that those functions can be added to the portal;

(8) Identification of any impediments posed by federal law and recommended ways to address each impediment;

(9) A comprehensive analysis of the processes of all state agencies, with a view toward streamlining and reducing the paperwork necessary for individuals and businesses to interact with each agency; and

(10) Recommendations on the scope of services to be provided by the portal. At a minimum, such services shall include:

(i) Application and renewal of licenses and fees incident to the start-up and operation of a business;

(ii) Online payment of taxes and related costs imposed by state law incident to the operation of a business;

(iii) Filing of documents and papers imposed by state law associated with the operation of a business;

(iv) Creation of individual online accounts for each individual or business, which allows the individual or business to monitor its filings, payments, deadlines and other business-compliance activities;

(v) Providing information regarding compliance with local requirements; and

(vi) Notification of public contracting opportunities and resources for technical assistance for individuals and businesses.

(1) Ensure that the portal has a web site and the ability to process new business registrations as handled by the state secretary’s office, and will be in a testing phase for the department of revenue's tax registration application by December 31, 2023; and

(2) Ensure that subsequent and additional online individual and business applications maintained by the commonwealth shall be evaluated and prioritized.