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State Regulatory Updates
The "Massachusetts Means Business" initiative, launched in January 2025, aims to streamline state regulations to enhance economic competitiveness. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) conducted a survey in March 2025, gathering feedback from businesses across various regions. The survey identified key regulatory challenges, including complex licensing processes, redundant paperwork, and difficulties in accessing capital. As a result, the state is implementing regulatory reforms and the rollout of a digital platform that centralizes business services and streamlines compliance.
Regulatory Updates:
Division of Banks:
The Division of Banks is updating eight regulations to reduce regulatory burden, align with federal standards, and streamline processes for 788 finance companies, including banks, credit unions, mortgage firms, and small loan lenders. These updates:
- Expand reverse mortgage counseling to phone and online formats.
- Align mortgage disclosure rules with other states for consistency.
- Update state regulations to match federal standards.
- Ensure state-chartered credit unions remain competitive with federal charters.
Links to all Redlines within the Division of Banks: CMR 20, CMR 32, CMR 42, CMR 43, CMR 50, CMR 54, CMR 55, CMR 57.
Division of Standards - Overhaul Unit Pricing:
The Division of Standards is updating unit pricing regulations to modernize requirements for grocery and retail stores. These updates:
- Align unit pricing rules with national standards and simplify compliance to reduce business costs.
- Enable digital and electronic shelf labels to reduce manual pricing tasks.
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Improve accessibility of price displays for shoppers.
Division of Occupational Licensure – Cosmetology and Barbering:
The Division of Occupational Licensure is updating regulations to support licensees by expanding training access and reducing barriers. These changes:
- Modernize business and licensing requirements by removing outdated rules—such as the barber pole mandate—and easing licensure standards, including eliminating the high school diploma requirement and extending assistant instructor licenses, to broaden access and grow the talent pool.
- Increase flexibility for schools and allow at-home salons with fewer location restrictions.
- Enable electrologists to provide services at clients’ homes and allow more credit hour transfers between barber and cosmetology programs.
- Streamline pathways for vocational students to receive credit toward licensure by allowing credit hours earned in public vocational secondary or post-secondary school programs to count toward state licensing requirements.
Division of Occupational Licensure - Tramway Signage:
The Division of Occupational Licensure is updating tramway sign regulations to benefit 13 independently owned ski areas. These changes:
- Improve regulatory clarity and efficiency for licensees.
- Remove dynamic testing requirements for ground-level tramways such as “magic carpets”.
- Update trail signage requirements to reflect current industry standards.
Division of Occupational Licensure – Electricians:
The Division of Occupational Licensure is updating electrician licensing regulations to modernize training requirements and support the Commonwealth’s clean energy workforce goals. These changes:
- Expand allowable provider types for continuing education to include community colleges and vocational schools.
- Permit online continuing education courses, increasing accessibility for licensees across the state.
- Add specific training requirements for solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system (ESS) work, aligning with evolving industry standards.
- Support workforce development and public safety by clarifying training pathways and adapting to new technologies.
Similar policies have also been put into place for Architects, Drinking Water Operators, Hoisting Exams, Plumbers and Gas Fitters, and Public Accountability Regulations.
Division of Insurance:
The Division of Insurance is updating 11 regulations to benefit 1,400 licensed companies and 200,000 insurance producers. These changes:
- Eliminate outdated paper filing requirements and rescind irrelevant regulations.
- Expedite the market entry filing process.
- Pivot to a digital filing system.
Links to all Redlines within the Division of Insurance: CMR 110, CMR 123, CMR 140, CMR 144, CMR 149, CMR 16, CMR 54, CMR 79, CMR 90, CMR 91
The Division of Insurance also implemented digital process improvements in 2025 to streamline licensing, reporting, and payments. These updates:
- Allow entities to update license details and manage personnel changes online without paper or mail.
- Include an upcoming online payment portal to support electronic fee payments and reduce processing time.
- Transitioned the Financial Licensing Unit to OPTins, enabling efficient fee payments and report submissions.
MA Contractor Hub:
In March 2025, OCABR launched the MA Contractor Hub, a modernized system for the Home Improvement Contractor Program. This new platform:
- Eliminates manual processes and paper applications.
- Replaces an outdated database with a more user-friendly system.
- Allows consumers to search contractor registrations, view disciplinary history, and access complaint and arbitration tools.
- Enables contractors to manage registrations, renewals, payments, and generate digital registration cards.
Division of Occupational Licensure – eLIPSE Portals (no link/PDF provided):
The Division of Occupational Licensure is launching eLIPSE, a new digital platform replacing three outdated systems to streamline licensing, permitting, and inspections. This paperless, system will:
- Let users manage license applications, access digital proof of licensure, and request support.
- Allow consumers to search licensee records and disciplinary history.
- Launch first for Real Estate and Plumbing licenses on June 26, 2025.
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