CLEAR

Ontario's Fairness Commissioner reflects on five years of fair access work, charts future course

A Fair Way to Go: Access to Ontario's Regulated Professions and the Need to Embrace Newcomers in the Global Economy, published by Ontario's Office of the Fairness Commissioner, provides an overview of five years of fairness work (2007-2012), outlining areas in which progress has been made, as well as twelve areas which require future improvement. The document concludes by suggesting a "fair access agenda" for the future, which includes items for regulatory bodies and registrants, for government and for research.

Executive Summary

Full report.

Washington state auditor reports on information agencies provide business, processes to streamline business rules

Washington state auditor's office recently published Regulatory Reform: Communicating Regulatory Information and Streamlining Business Rules as part of a broader performance audit of the state's regulatory system. The report finds that "Regulatory information on state websites is incomplete, and not all agency websites are easy to use" and "Agencies could improve their rule streamlining processes. Several agencies regularly reviewed their rules using specific criteria and a documented process, but agencies should do more to measure the results of streamlining efforts." Among other recommendations, the report calls for the creation of "a single, one-stop portal for all business transactions with state government," to guarantee that "all regulatory agencies provide complete and accurate information for all business licenses and permits on their websites," and require all agencies to "adopt streamlining processes." The next report will examine application processing times.

Regulatory Reform: Communicating Regulatory Information and Streamlining Business Rules.

California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, proposed regulations open for comment

The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians has submitted a regulation package to the Office of Administrative Law regarding Disciplinary Guidelines and Uniform Standards.  The Notice, Initial Statement of Reasons, and Proposed Language can be found at http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/about_us/proposed_regulations.shtml

Instructions for submitting comments regarding the proposed regulations are included on page three of the Notice.

The public hearing will be September 6, 2011, 10:00 am, 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, 3^rd floor conference room, Sacramento, CA  95833.

Maryland: health boards audit report lists concerns

The Office of Legislative Audits has released a report on the Health Professional Boards and Commission, the State Board of Physicians, and the State Board of Nursing, for the period June 1 2005-January 31, 2008. Expressed concerns include weaknesses in financial and security internal controls. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), which oversees these boards, does not agree with all findings. Read the report.

Texas: 2009-2013 TDLR strategic plan

The TDLR Strategic Plan for the fiscal years 2009-13 by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists priority areas as staffing, resources, technology, complaint resolution, licensing, interim charge, and advisory board initiatives.