[nfbmi-talk] should apply to citizens transparency for blind too

[joe harcz Comcast]

Say Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Arwood,

 

Why doesn’t LARA and BSBP follow this for consumer advocates and members of the public. You pile all sorts of paper work on us and post very little about your agencies activities on your own web site that is useful or timely and you don’t deliver information in an accessible and timely manner even upon requests. Yet, you employ as a weapon of state against this blind citizen layers of administrative craziness with FOIA/ OMA, ADA, 504 compliance, etc.

 

Come on I thought the Snyder Administration was to be “transparent” to not just business but, also we the people. And just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to know about your agencies dealings.

 

Think about it.

 

Sincerely,

 

Joe Harcz

 

Attached Article:

 

 

 

Michigan promises less paperwork for businesses By Paul Egan Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau State officials pledged Thursday to cut in half the number

of government forms Michigan businesses must fill out, and touted changes they have already made to make the state more business-friendly. The Department

of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced its Reinventing Performance in Michigan program in partnership with three other state agencies. We must continue

our momentum to change the reality and perception companies have of Michigan and become a top 10 business-friendly state," the department said in a news

release. State government still has too many delays, duplicative forms and impractical regulations and practices hurting Michigan's businesses. In addition

to reducing paperwork, a goal of the program is a 50% improvement in customer response time, the agency said. LARA Director Steve Arwood and Lt. Gov. Brian

Calley announced the program at an event in Grand Rapids. They also highlighted steps the administration has already taken to reduce red tape. In the Unemployment

Insurance Agency, officials say they have eliminated 430 forms and consolidated others. They say tax reporting changes are reported 98% faster and businesses

now receive their tax registration numbers within two days, down from 90 days or more in the recent past. Health professionals are receiving their licenses

60% faster and an application backlog has been cleared, the agency said. LARA said it has cut the number of state regulations, known as administrative

rules, by 1,386 since early 2011 through its Office of Regulatory Reinvention, largely by eliminating outdated or redundant rules. The department says

the Michigan Liquor Control Commission has already reduced paperwork by 63%, resulting in applicants receiving liquor licenses 150 days sooner. Steve Tobias,

executive director of Michigan Alcohol Policy Promoting Health and Safety, said he does not oppose cutting unnecessary red tape, but he is concerned that

new liquor licenses could be issued without proper scrutiny. We definitely don't want any kind of shortcuts being taken, giving licenses to people who

shouldn't have them," Tobias said.