The General Services Agency designed a bill paying method that is part of an efficiency program that has saved the county $33 million in 10 years.
RICHMOND - Saying Virginia "owes its citizens" the right to transparency and efficiency in permit and license approvals, Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday issued an executive order directing six state regulatory agencies to improve processes for permit and license approval, including a report by mid-December of data on annual approvals, the criteria behind them and whether approvals can be done online.
The order, the 39 of Youngkin's administration, builds on an order he issued early in his term asking the state Department of Environmental Quality to work with six agencies on tracking progress on permit signoffs and develop processes to avoid delays. Friday's order spells out a timeline for when those progress reports are due and ways to speed up the process from initial application to permit issuance.
In a statement accompanying the order, Youngkin said it reflects a Day-One priority to "improve government efficiency" by reducing red tape. That priority, he said, resulted in taxpayer savings of more than $1.2 billion and streamlining 50,000 regulatory requirements.
"Now, with our first in the nation approval tracking system, we are making it clearer, easier, and more efficient to apply for these critical approvals and taking a big step towards making Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family," his statement read.
The governor's order expands his 2022 directive four ways.
It requires the agencies - DEQ; the state departments of health, energy, transportation, and conservation and recreation; and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission - to report additional data on the approvals and submit improvement plans by Dec. 13 and, beginning in January, submit quarterly reports on their achievements. The improvement plans should cover removal of obsolete approvals, note permits that require multi-step approvals, continuing to look for streamlining opportunities, and enhancing digital access to the application and approval processes.
The governor also wants the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management to come up with new forms by Jan. 31, 2025, to reflect the process improvements.
In the order, Youngkin touted what he said was "unprecedented transformation in customer service" across several state agencies. For example, wait times at Department of Motor Vehicles offices across Virginia dropped from an average 37 minutes to 10 minutes, while the Virginia Employment Commission eliminated 1.3 million requirements to improve its timeliness from worst in the nation to a top-20 ranking.
Friday's order is the latest in a series of regulatory reduction directions from the governor to make doing routine business with Virginia more user friendly. One of those orders established the Commonwealth Chief Transformation Office that identifies and directs the reforms.