State Rep. Will Bruck and Sen. Joe Bellino have introduced identical bills in both chambers to streamline the state’s permitting process.

“To make Michigan competitive, we must make our great state business-friendly. This legislation would cut unnecessary red tape in the permitting process,” said Bruck, R-Erie. “The wait time to gain approval for a permit is usually far too long. We need to help our businesses be able to move quicker on their initiatives and at the same time create good-paying jobs for our citizens.”

According to Site Selection magazine, in 2022, the ease of permitting and regulatory procedures ranked fifth among the most important location criteria — behind workforce skills and development, local and state taxes, and transportation infrastructure.

“Cutting unnecessary and burdensome red tape regarding state permits would make the process more user-friendly and help foster a better business climate that makes our state more attractive to job creators,” said Bellino, R-Monroe. “This legislation would ease bureaucratic barriers to growth and ensure Michigan residents and businesses get their permits processed in a timely manner — or receive a refund on their application and permit fees.”

Senate Bill 557 and House Bill 5094 would facilitate the streamlined processing of applications for state permits and establish certain timeframes for processing applications for state permits. The measures would also provide for the refund or waiver of application fees if permits are not processed within the applicable time frames.

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