Massachusetts announces cuts to 38 regulatory sets to ease burden on businesses

Governor, speaking at the Office of the Governor in Boston on Oct. 11, announced a first package of regulatory cuts and modernization measures aimed at reducing burdens on businesses and consumers across Massachusetts.

The governor said agencies reviewed more than 50 sets of regulations and are cutting 38 sets — "25% of the total of all regulations," she said — and detailed examples ranging from unit-pricing rules for grocery stores to requirements for barber poles and ski-area signage. "We're getting rid of that," the governor said of several rules she described as antiquated. "We're clearing the way so innovators can innovate and builders can build and entrepreneurs can thrive."

The announcement is part of the administration's broader economic agenda, which the governor tied to work begun under the Mass Leads Act and a recent energy infrastructure law. The administration asked agencies to look agency-by-agency at regulations and to solicit business feedback; officials said the work also identified modernization projects such as phasing out paper-only filings for banks and insurers and merging multiple licensing systems.

Ashley Stoba, interim secretary of economic development, called the package "one of many…