§ 42-35.1-5 - Small business enforcement ombudsman.
SECTION 42-35.1-5
§ 42-35.1-5 Small business enforcementombudsman. – (a) The director of the economic development corporation shall designate anexisting staff member as a "small business regulatory enforcement ombudsman",who shall report directly to the director.
(b) The ombudsman shall:
(1) Work with each agency with regulatory authority oversmall businesses to ensure that small business concerns that receive or aresubject to an audit, on-site inspection, compliance assistance effort, or otherenforcement related communication or contact by agency personnel are providedwith a means to comment on the enforcement activity conducted by such personnel;
(2) Establish means to receive comments from small businessconcerns regarding actions by agency employees conducting compliance orenforcement activities;
(3) Within six (6) months of appointment, work with eachregulating entity to develop and publish reporting policies;
(4) Based on substantiated comments received from smallbusiness concerns the ombudsman shall annually report to the general assemblyand affected agencies evaluating the enforcement activities of agency personnelincluding a rating of the responsiveness of the regulatory agencies policies;
(5) Coordinate and report annually on the activities,findings and recommendations to the general assembly and the directors ofaffected agencies; and
(6) Provide the affected agency with an opportunity tocomment on reports prepared pursuant to this chapter, and include a section ofthe final report in which the affected agency may make such comments as are notaddressed by the ombudsman.