HB19-1117 Summary

• Requires the Department of Regulatory Agencies to rebuttably presume that consumers are sufficiently protected by market competition and private remedies before recommending occupational regulation.

• Mandates the department find credible evidence of present, significant, and substantiated harm to consumers before recommending any new or continued government regulation.

• Requires the department to recommend only the least restrictive occupational regulation necessary to address identified consumer harm, with a defined hierarchy from market competition (least restrictive) to occupational licensing (most restrictive).

• Establishes guidelines for alternative regulatory approaches based on the type of harm, including civil causes of action for contractual disputes, strengthened deceptive trade practices enforcement for fraud, registration and inspection for health/safety issues, and voluntary or government certification for information gaps.

• Applies these same presumption and least-restrictive requirements to the Department's analysis of whether to continue existing occupational regulations during sunset reviews.