HB94 Summary

• Establishes the Common Sense Initiative Office within the Lieutenant Governor's office to review proposed rules for adverse impacts on small businesses and make recommendations to agencies.

• Creates a small business impact analysis instrument and requires state agencies to evaluate proposed rules against it, prepare impact analyses, and submit them to the Common Sense Initiative Office at least 15 business days before filing rules for legislative review.

• Defines "small business" as independently owned businesses with fewer than 500 full-time employees or less than $6 million in gross annual sales, and specifies four types of adverse impacts that trigger the review requirement.

• Establishes a nine-member Common Sense Initiative Advisory Council (appointed by Governor and legislative leaders) to advise on proposed rules' impacts on small businesses, and requires the office to establish a public comment system and develop customer service performance standards for state agencies.

• Repeals the existing section 121.24 small business notification requirements effective January 1, 2012, replacing them with the new comprehensive small business rule review process.