Why states are adopting enterprise-wide policy management in 2024

Esper is quickly gaining rapport as the system of record for statewide regulation and policy management. In Fall 2023, we announced our third statewide implementation over the course of just two years. We’re proud to support all executive branch agencies in Iowa, Montana, and Tennessee in their regulatory processes.

We’re thrilled to see more states recognize the benefits of adopting an enterprise solution to managing complex administrative codes. As we enter the new year, we put pen to paper to highlight the most common reasons why states are trending towards centralized regulatory management. 

Improved regulatory oversight and organization 

There are dozens of executive branch agencies creating regulations each year, from large environmental agencies to smaller occupational licensing boards. Governor’s offices and regulatory publishing bodies play a key role in reviewing, approving, and moving regulations through the process. But without a central place to collect regulations and facilitate collaboration, deadlines were slipping and regulations were literally lost on people’s desks! 

With Esper, coordinating offices are better able to stay on track of their regulatory inbox and ensure agencies are meeting their deadlines and policy expectations. Better still, Governor’s offices, Attorney Generals, and legislative committees are able to fully exercise oversight of regulatory agencies.

Staying on track with mandated regulatory reviews 

Most states have legislated review requirements for regulations, meaning agencies must review and update their regulations on a set cadence. The purpose of mandated reviews is to ensure that citizens don’t have to keep up with dozens of outdated or no longer relevant regulations. Agencies have hundreds, sometimes thousands of regulations under their purview, and it’s rare to find an agency that keeps up with mandated reviews (see more on regulatory reviews here).

With Esper, it’s simple to pull up a list of regulations due for review and quickly identify which ones need to be updated. Citizens benefit from having an up to date, modern administrative code that is regularly reviewed by agencies. 

Retaining valuable institutional knowledge 

With agency staff turnover and employees on the brink of retirement, states are seeing enormous amounts of institutional knowledge lost each year. Let’s face it, understanding the ins and outs of the complex rulemaking process is not something you can pick up quickly. Onboarding new employees is increasingly difficult without a dedicated system that can train staff on how to manage the regulatory process. This loss of institutional knowledge compounds statewide, creating large gaps in information. Esper becomes the source of truth for regulation, making it easy for new staff to seamlessly onboard and become familiar with how to conduct rulemaking. 

"This is a marathon, not a sprint. This will take alignment across the Governor’s Office and all state agencies to implement. But, once completed, we will set up a long-lasting framework for the betterment of Montanans."

Kristen Juras, Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Improving citizen access to regulations 

Looking up regulations on most government websites is a daunting feat. Esper’s latest product, Regulatory Publication, makes it easy for citizens and regulators to search and find relevant regulations. The newest product will help cut down on information requests and improve the citizen’s’ experience with government. Stay tuned on the launch of our publication product this spring! 

Esper is purpose built to support the complex regulation and policymaking process, whether at an individual agency or statewide. Statewide implementations have compounding benefits for government staff, citizens, and state budgets. For more information on how Esper works, get in touch!