Establishes a task force for the review of the state administrative procedure act to ensure that administrative rulemaking, adjudication and licensing is consistent, uniform, and not unnecessarily burdensome for regulated entities.
This bill would create a nine-member task force to conduct a comprehensive review of New York’s State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA). The task force would examine how state agencies make rules, conduct adjudications, and issue licenses, with a focus on whether the current process is efficient, consistent, uniform, and not overly burdensome for regulated entities. It would also be directed to hold public hearings across the state, consult with small businesses, agricultural interests, regulated parties, and residents from all regions, and then issue a report with recommendations for amendments to SAPA and other related reforms.
The bill specifies several principles the task force should consider in its recommendations, including risk-based regulation grounded in the best available data and science, full cost-benefit analysis for major regulations, transparent peer and public review, legislative and judicial oversight of regulations, and prioritizing compliance over enforcement. The task force would be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, with members expected to have experience in administrative or regulatory law, regulated industries, or organized labor. Members would serve without compensation, though they could receive expenses, and the task force would have access to state resources and data as needed. A final report would be due by December 31, 2026, and the act would take effect immediately.
If enacted, the bill would not directly change substantive regulatory requirements immediately; instead, it would amend the State Administrative Procedure Act by adding a new article establishing a review task force. Its practical impact would be to create a formal mechanism for examining whether New York’s rulemaking, adjudication, and licensing procedures should be revised, potentially leading to future statutory amendments affecting state agencies, regulated businesses, farms, and other licensees. The bill also reinforces a policy framework favoring cost-benefit analysis, transparency, oversight, and reduced regulatory burden.
The available context suggests generally favorable sentiment among the bill’s sponsors, who frame it as a needed comprehensive review of an older administrative law framework that has been amended many times without full reassessment. The bill’s caption and findings emphasize consistency, uniformity, and reducing unnecessary burdens on regulated entities, indicating support from lawmakers concerned with regulatory efficiency and small business impacts. No committee transcript or vote data is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or formal legislative sentiment beyond the bill’s pro-review, pro-streamlining framing.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s regulatory philosophy and the scope of the task force’s mandate. Supporters appear to favor greater scrutiny of agency rulemaking, cost-benefit analysis, and limits on burdensome regulation, while critics could view the bill as potentially constraining agency discretion or shifting the balance toward regulated industries. The inclusion of principles such as prioritizing compliance over enforcement and requiring legislative and judicial oversight may also be debated by those who prefer stronger agency autonomy or different enforcement priorities. Because no committee debate or votes are included, specific named opponents are not identified.