§936.1.  One-stop licensing program, creation; Department of Economic Development

A.  There shall hereby be created in the Department of Economic Development a one-stop licensing program.  The program to assist businesses in obtaining permits shall be within the department.  For the purposes of this Section, "permit" means any license, certificate, registration, permit, or any other form of authorization required by a state agency to engage in a particular commercial activity or act.

B.  The program shall provide centralized services to assist businesses in identifying and securing appropriate permits needed to operate a business.  The major objective of the program is to reduce the time and paperwork involved in obtaining permits.  The program shall enable the business person to obtain this information from a single source.  The program shall have centralized licensing services and centralized information services.

C.  The department shall render the following assistance:

(1)  Assist the business person by providing information on permitting, generally and specifically, and furnish permit forms pertaining to their specific business.

(2)  Compile a comprehensive listing of all state permits and categorize the required permits into a comprehensive handbook that is readily available to persons interested in establishing a business enterprise.

(3)  Facilitate contacts for an applicant with the proper state agency responsible for processing and reviewing the respective permit application.

(4)  Arrange conferences to clarify the interest and requirements of any such state agency with respect to a permit application.

(5)  Consider with state agencies the feasibility of consolidating hearings and data required of the applicant.

(6)  Assist the applicant in the resolution of outstanding issues identified by the state agency, including delays experienced in permit review.

(7)  Coordinate federal, state, and local permit review actions to the extent practicable.

D.  The department may accept completed permits from a business owner and shall promptly forward them to the appropriate agency.

E.  The department shall not have any authority to approve or issue permits.

Acts 1986, No. 571, §2; Acts 1991, No. 490, §3, eff. July 15, 1991.