This month, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed into law five measures approved by the Oregon Legislature to make it easier and less expensive for business owners to understand and meet state regulations. They are the first measures enacted out of a package of regulatory streamlining bills supported by the Oregon Business Plan and introduced by the Governor.  The five bills will:

• Simplify notice requirements for rulemaking hearings so that proposed changes will be clearer to the public (HB 2206).
• Authorizes agencies to use e-mail to distribute notice of rulemaking hearings (HB 2204).
• Eliminates requirements for notarization and sworn statements in many licensing processes when simple written certification will do, facilitating electronic processing (HB 2095).
• Simplifies the process for approving ODOT property leases (HB 2087).
• Eliminates an unnecessary notification requirement in certain water-right regulations (HB 2083).