Massachusetts Means Business

Governor Healey is cutting through regulations that are holding businesses back.

Massachusetts is making it easier to operate and grow your business.

In January 2025, during her State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Healey emphasized the need to increase the state’s economic competitiveness and directed the Executive Office of Economic Development and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) to review regulations and find ways to make it easier to do business in Massachusetts.

OCABR and its agencies diligently reviewed regulations with an eye toward streamlining business operations while balancing consumer protection measures, held meetings with business owners, sent surveys, and spoke with industry associations and stakeholders. 

We’re calling this massive effort “Massachusetts Means Business” because we want our companies to grow and succeed.  

Highlights from the Business Community Survey

In March 2025, OCABR created a survey to help identify regulations the business community views as problematic and shared it with associations and chambers of commerce to reach businesses across the state. Of the 62 respondents: 

• 68% represented businesses with 50 or fewer employees
• All regions were represented with the largest percentages being from Greater Boston (28%), Northeast (13%) and Central MA and Metrowest (10% each)
• 24% cited Insurance Compliance/Requirements as the top regulatory area that presents the greatest challenge for business, followed by 20% for Business Compliance Inspections and Examinations
• 33% said that increased operational costs was the top way regulatory challenges affected their business

When asked what actions the Commonwealth should take to improve the regulatory environment, 29% suggested reducing redundant or outdated regulations.

Expanding Stakeholder Outreach

The Division of Occupational Licensure is currently surveying licensees in massage therapy, barbering, electrology, cosmetology, architecture and certified public accounting. Results are expected in early June and feedback will be incorporated into further recommendations for streamlining regulations. The Division is working to survey all of its licensees over the coming months to continue improving regulations and processes.

Cutting Red Tape and Clearing Up Confusion

Benefitting 788 companies within the finance industry 

The Division of Banks’ recommended updates to 8 of its regulations that will impact 140 regulated depository institutions, including banks and credit unions; over 600 mortgage companies; and 48 small loan finance companies. These changes: 

• Refine processes, reduce regulatory burden, and lessen industry confusion around new laws.
• Provide wider and easier access to reverse mortgage counseling by offering phone and online services.
• Streamline the current mortgage licensing disclosure requirements to make it more consistent with other state requirements – particularly for companies doing business in all states.
• Align state regulations with applicable federal regulations to ensure parity and efficiency.
• Ensure regulatory parity with federally-chartered credit unions so that the Massachusetts credit union charter remains a strong and competitive charter option.

Overhauling Unit Pricing

Benefitting More than 15,000 Grocery and Retail Stores

With no significant regulatory changes since 1999, the Division of Standards heard from businesses that the time to update unit pricing requirements was long-overdue and the agency is able to quickly act with the support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration. These changes:

• Offer clean, predictable updates consistent with national standards.
• Make compliance easier and more cost effective.
• Offer potential for new technologies like electronic shelf labels.
• Improve productivity of current workforce, which will lead to better customer service.
• Allow for digital pricing signage that requires less manual work by employees who will then be able to focus on customer service, restocking, etc.
• Encourage accessibility so that people of all abilities can have an easy shopping process.

Expanding Opportunities in Cosmetology and Barbering

Benefitting 89,000 Licensees

Supported by the industry, Division of Occupational Licensure recommendations widen the training pool by making education more accessible, eliminating excessive burdens, and supporting smaller businesses, including at-home practitioners. These changes:

• Remove outdated rules for businesses like eliminating the requirement that barber shops have poles installed to identify their businesses.
• Allow assistant instructors in aesthetics, cosmetology, and manicuring to be licensed for more than 2 years.
• Eliminate the high school graduation requirement for barber instructors and assistant instructors, which widens the talent pool.
• Reduce student and school size minimums and allow schools to use buildings not located at their registered address to teach students, creating more opportunity for education.
• Ease requirements to establish at-home salons by no longer requiring the entrance to be visible from the street and immediately accessible at the front or side of the property.
• Allow electrologists to perform services for any customer in their home, increasing professional opportunity.
• Increase the number of credit hours from a barber school that can be applied toward a cosmetology degree, so barbers can more easily qualify for a cosmetology license.
• Remove barriers for vocational students from receiving credit hours for programs completed in public vocational secondary or post-secondary school programs, creating a faster and more affordable pathway to licensure.

Creating Efficiencies for Tramway Signage

Benefitting 13 Independently-Owned Ski Areas

The Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL) will make changes to tramway sign regulations that are supported industry-wide. These changes:

• Create efficiencies and clarity for licensees.
• Eliminate dynamic testing for tramways on the ground such as magic carpets.
• Updating requirements for trail signage.

Growing Opportunity for Hoisting Engineers

Benefitting 55,000 licensees

Business professionals and industry stakeholders have expressed interest to the Division of Occupational Licensure in non-English language support for the hoisting exam. Developers and operators have responded positively to reducing regulatory burdens that will make it easier for projects to progress and for operators to do their job efficiently. These changes:

• Create efficiencies and clarity for licensees, while widening the workforce pool and improving inclusivity.
• Remove the requirement that applicants communicate in the English language.
• Allow examination waivers for individuals holding nationally recognized credentials.
• Eliminate the requirement that new photographs and identification be provided for license renewal. 
• Reduce limitations on unlicensed individuals obtaining temporary permits to operate small rental equipment by allowing two permits within a 30-day period.
• Remove the requirement that inspection materials be kept with hoisting equipment.

Fostering an Efficient and Competitive Business Environment

Benefitting 1,400 licensed insurance companies and approximately 200,000 individual insurance producers  

Backed by industry support, the Division of Insurance recommends amendments to 11 of its regulations pertaining to the business of insurance in the Commonwealth, with the goal of fostering a more efficient and competitive business environment. These changes:

• Eliminate outdated requirements like submitting paper copies of filings and supporting materials on computer discs.
• Rescind 4 regulations which are no longer relevant.
• Expedite the filing process for new entrants to the insurance market.
• Align with the Commonwealth’s broader climate initiatives, supporting a more environmentally responsible regulatory framework by eliminating paper filing requirements.

Streamlining Joint Regulations with the Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC) and Department of Public Utilities (DPU)

Benefitting over 100 communication and electric companies

DTC is in the process of conducting a rulemaking with the DPU to streamline the joint regulations that govern pole attachments in Massachusetts. This update is expected to significantly enhance the ability of businesses to attach to poles and encourage broadband deployment. The proceeding represents a massive undertaking by DTC and DPU to modernize and improve these complex rules which will best position companies to effectively utilize federal funds to grow their operations in Massachusetts.

Modernizing Systems to Save Time

The Healey-Driscoll Administration supports OCABR modernization projects that create efficiencies for licensees, consumers, and employees. With improvements to systems and services comes efficiencies like time and cost savings.

Home Improvement Contractor Program’s MA Contractor Hub

In March 2025, OCABR launched its new Home Improvement Contractor Program system called the MA Contractor Hub -- a win-win for homeowners and contractors This quick-turn modernization project:

• Eliminated manual processes and paper applications.
• Replaced a cumbersome database that was difficult to use and update.
• Allows consumers to easily search for contractor registrations and view disciplinary history to make informed decisions, submit a complaint, and apply for arbitration or the Guaranty Fund.
• Provides contractors with an easier way to manage their registrations and renewals, pay balances, and generate digital registration cards for themselves and team members.

Division of Occupational Licensure’s electronic Licensing, Inspections, Permitting, Software Engine (eLIPSE).  

Addressing three outdated systems that did not share information, DOL embarked on a three-year modernization project with the goal of streamlining processes and improving user experience for its licensing, permitting, and inspectional platforms. eLIPSE is a paperless user-friendly platform that will:

• Allow individuals to manage and track their license applications, generate digital proof of licensure that eliminates the risk of lost or stolen paper licenses, and request support.
• Offer consumers an easy way to search licensee registrations and disciplinary history to make informed decisions. 
• Streamline business operations, enhance customer service, decrease internal processing times, and increase customer satisfaction.  

On June 26, 2025, the Real Estate and Plumbing eLIPSE portals will be the first to go live.

Division of Insurance (DOI) Efficiency Improvements for License Details, Reporting, and Payments

In 2025, the DOI streamlined its required business processes with the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) that: 

• Enable entities to efficiently update specific license details.
• Allows business entities to add or remove members or Designated Responsible Licensed Producers to their license without a paper process or sending a check via postal mail.  

An online payment portal is anticipated to be launched by the end of the year, designed to:

• Enhance efficiency by allowing licensed producers to pay fees electronically.
• Reduce staff processing time.

Just this year, the Division of Insurance’s Financial Licensing Unit moved to a cost-effective and integrated system (OPTins) that: 

• Allows for the payment of licensing fees.
• Eases the submission of required reporting.

Department of Telecommunications (DTC) and Cable Electronic Submissions 

• DTC is transitioning to an electronic submission system for its rate schedule filings which permit businesses to efficiently and quickly provide information needed by DTC to perform its fundamental agency obligations.   

Division of Banks and Division of Standards  

• Both agencies have gone paperless for applications, which reduces processing times and aligns with environmental goals of the Administration.