If you’ve ever tried to launch a small business in New York State, pushed a development project through a tangle of approvals, or navigated state services on behalf of your organization or community, you know the frustration of unnecessary red tape. Now, the state wants to hear about it.

Governor Kathy Hochul has launched EXPRESS NY (Expediting Processes and Regulations to Enable Streamlined Services), a statewide initiative to identify and eliminate outdated, redundant, or overly burdensome state regulations, policies, and practices. The effort builds on an internal review begun last fall, in which state agencies identified nearly 100 regulations and practices already flagged for reform or elimination. Those early findings pointed to some concrete opportunities: removing unnecessary fees for small businesses, expediting occupational licensing renewals, digitizing paper-based processes, and reducing reporting requirements that agencies themselves acknowledged were excessive.

Now the process opens to the public, and the Governor is making the ask directly. “New Yorkers navigate regulations in ways big and small, from small businesses trying to get off the ground to local leaders trying to build needed housing and infrastructure,” Hochul said. “It is often too hard and takes too long to navigate red tape and get approvals.”

The initiative focuses on three core areas: accelerating housing and infrastructure development, supporting small businesses, and simplifying access to state services for residents and organizations, such as healthcare, childcare, and mental health support.

To support the effort, the Governor has appointed a new Associate Director of Regulatory Reform in the Executive Chamber. In the coming weeks, that office will be meeting with small business owners, community leaders, localities, and industry stakeholders. EXPRESS NY also connects to the Governor’s broader “Let Them Build” agenda, which seeks commonsense reforms to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to make it easier to build housing, green infrastructure, childcare centers, and other critical projects.

Submissions should focus specifically on New York State agency regulations, policies, or practices. Proposals requiring changes to federal, state, or local law fall outside the scope of this initiative. All submissions will be part of the public record and subject to the Freedom of Information Law.

The deadline to submit is April 3, 2026. If you have direct experience with state-level processes that unnecessarily slow things down, this is a straightforward opportunity to put that feedback on the record. Submit your recommendations here: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/how-can-we-make-new-york-state-work-better-for-you