Boston - On May 28, 2025 Governor Maura Healey announced that she is eliminating a series of regulations for the purpose of saving businesses and business owners time and money. In her State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Healey directed the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) to conduct this review to identify ways to make it easier to do business in Massachusetts and enhance the state’s economic competitiveness. This initiative resulted in cutting or amending one quarter of all regulations under the oversight of OCABR and its agencies. 

Industry representatives and business owners joined the kick-off event at the State House to celebrate the Massachusetts Means Business initiative.

At Governor Healey’s direction, the Divisions of Banks, Insurance, Occupational Licensure, Standards, and the Department of Telecommunications and Cable met with businesses and reviewed 150 sets of regulations. The focus was to eliminate outdated and duplicative requirements, repeal unnecessary and onerous barriers to business growth, and rescind regulations that stifle competition and hurt Massachusetts businesses, business owners and consumers.

“Massachusetts means business. We need to support our entrepreneurs and companies, cut their costs, and make it easier to do business in our state,” said Governor Healey. “That’s what we are doing by cutting red tape, simplifying regulations, and saving thousands of businesses and business owners significant time and money so they can focus on what matters most – growing jobs and contributing to our economy.”

“Governor Healey and I hear all the time from business owners that they want to stay or grow here in Massachusetts. And we want them to too,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This effort by OCABR will make it easier for them to do business here, which we know is badly needed at a time when actions from the Trump Administration are injecting major uncertainty and instability for our businesses.”

The Massachusetts Means Business initiative launched with the following efforts from OCABR agencies:

• Cutting Red Tape and Clearing Up Confusion: Updates to Division of Banks regulations will benefit 788 companies within the financial services industry. Changes include refining processes, reducing regulatory burdens and lessening confusion around new laws.
• Overhauling Unit Pricing: Updates to Division of Standards regulations will benefit 15,000 grocery and retail stores. Changes will update unit price disclosure requirements that haven’t been adjusted since the 1990s to ease burden and cost of compliance and embrace new technologies.
• Expanding Opportunities in Cosmetology and Barbering: The Division of Occupational Licensure will work with the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering on recommended changes that will make education more accessible, eliminate excessive burdens, and support smaller businesses, including at-home practitioners which will benefit 89,000 licensees.
• Creating Efficiencies for Tramway Signage: The Division of Occupational Licensure will work with the Recreational Tramway Board on updating their regulations that benefit 13 independently owned ski areas. Changes will update requirements for trail signage and eliminate burdensome and extraneous testing.
• Growing Opportunity for Hoisting Engineers: Updates to Division of Occupational Licensure regulations will benefit 55,000 licensees. Changes will increase the workforce pool, allow exam waivers for those with nationally recognized credentials, and eliminate the need for new photographs for license renewal.
• Fostering an Efficient and Competitive Business Environment: Updates to Division of Insurance regulations will benefit 1,400 licensed insurance companies and approximately 200,000 individual insurance producers. Changes include eliminating the requirement to submit paper filings or via computer disc and expediting the filing process.
• Streamlining Joint Regulations with the Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC) and Department of Public Utilities (DPU): Changes to rulemaking will benefit over 100 communication and electric companies and streamline the joint regulations that govern pole attachments in Massachusetts.

“This announcement is just one of our efforts to keep Massachusetts competitive and the best place for businesses to start, grow, and thrive,” said Interim Secretary of Economic Development Ashley Stolba. “Mass Means Business is the result of direct feedback and input from the business community, and we are grateful for their partnership in our work to streamline business regulations and expand economic opportunity for everyone in our state.”

“We diligently reviewed regulations with an eye toward streamlining business operations while balancing consumer protection measures,” said Undersecretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Layla D’Emilia. “These recommended amendments will provide more opportunity within industries, save businesses time, and help decrease operational costs.”

Additionally, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is modernizing OCABR systems to save time and costs, improve license management, eliminate paper processing, and increase transparency for licensees, consumers, and employees. For example, in March 2025, OCABR launched its new Home Improvement Contractor Program system called the MA Contractor Hub – a win-win for homeowners and contractors. The Mass Leads Act included important reforms to enable these updates. 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.

The Division of Occupational Licensure is also actively executing a three-year capital project to create a single, modern system for licensing, permitting, and inspections, making these processes easier for users. The new system will launch first for Real Estate and Plumbing board licensees in June 2025. The project involves collaboration across the EOED, ANF, and EOTSS secretariats to replace several outdated technology platforms.

Learn more about Massachusetts Means Business at mass.gov/massmeansbusiness.

Statements of Support:

Chris Flynn, President, Massachusetts Food Association:
“On behalf of the Massachusetts Food Association, a trade association of over 500 grocery stores and suppliers in Massachusetts, I thank Governor Healey, Lt. Governor Driscoll and the entire Healey-Driscoll team for taking the initiative to update, modernize and streamline the grocery industry’s unit pricing requirements. Consumers will be better informed and stores will be better equipped to provide pricing accuracy on almost every grocery store item offered for sale. This regulatory simplification embarked upon by the Healey-Driscoll Administration will make it easier for businesses to operate in Massachusetts and, at the same time, make Massachusetts more competitive with other states.”

Frank Zona, Chair, Professional Beauty Employment Coalition:
“The Professional Beauty Employment Coalition applauds the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to modernizing licensing systems and removing unnecessary barriers to work. In our Main Street industry, outdated regulations too often block opportunity for immigrants, survivors of violence and trafficking, young people entering the workforce, English language learners, and individuals in rural areas or simply seeking to work in Massachusetts. By updating the licensing structure, the Commonwealth is making real progress toward economic mobility—while also reinforcing the workplace standards that truly matter to the public.”

Jon B. Hurst, President & CEO, Retailers Association of Massachusetts:
“The most common complaint of small business owners has always been about the level of government red tape. That’s because they typically can’t afford to have lawyers, HR managers, and regulatory compliance staffers like their larger competitors. Whether from federal, state or local government, antiquated rules and regulations tend to sit for decades without fresh reviews on compliance costs and competitive measures. Several past state administrations have announced small business regulatory reviews, with ultimately little or nothing to show as a result. The Massachusetts unit pricing regulation is one such example; as it has long been out of step with nearly every other state in the nation, as well as with the model standards of national regulators. Likewise small business health insurance offerings and oversight, and licensing board standards can all be brought up to date to lower costs of operations for small employers and their workforces. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts appreciates the efforts of the Healey/Driscoll Administration, which is truly backing up the Governor’s announcement from the State of the State address with real action and reforms in 125 days.”  

Chris Stark, Executive Director, Massachusetts Insurance Federation (MIF):
“The Massachusetts Insurance Federation strongly supports the Healey-Driscoll administration’s efforts to make it easier for insurers to engage with the Division of Insurance, including eliminating duplicative and confusing paper filing requirements.”

Jeff Cowley, President, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area:
“I am grateful to this administration for supporting amendments to our regulations that reduce burdens on our businesses and help allow ski areas in Massachusetts to remain independently owned. The changes include eliminating redundant testing requirements, while at the same time updating and inserting common sense requirements for trail signage to be more consistent with industry standards nationwide. The administration’s support in improving our regulations also results in clarifying language, making it easier for licensees to understand and comply with regulatory requirements.”