A new law in Oregon is intended to give small businesses, including trucking companies, a voice in the state’s regulatory process.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed the bill requiring certain state agencies to consider the potential negative impact of regulation on small businesses and to consider less burdensome alternatives.

The new law, previously HB3238, also requires state agencies to conduct a review of existing rules every five years to ensure the rule had its intended effect and that there is a continued need for a rule.

“This bill enacts a long-sought reform: that when state agencies make a rule, they should consider its impact on small businesses,” House Speaker Karen Minnis said in a written statement.

Rep. Kim Thatcher, the bill’s sponsor, said the new law would help ensure long-term stability of small business in the state.

“Small companies are the backbone of our state’s economy and should not have to shoulder disproportionate regulatory costs and burdens. Not only does the new law require agencies to understand the economic impact of their actions on small business before they regulate, but it also requires agencies to review existing regulations, which may unduly burden small business,” Thatcher, R-Keizer, said in a written statement.

More than 25 states have adopted similar legislation.