The Regulatory Justice Initiative is a partnership between the Mayors Innovation Project and Cities Work at the Institute for Justice to help mayors reduce regulatory barriers for small businesses in their communities. Powered by Cities Work’s extensive legal and regulatory knowledge, this cohort will empower six participating cities to grow their local economy from the ground up.
About the Cohort & FAQs
Everyone has the right to earn an honest living, and city officials want to ensure their constituents can do exactly that: pursue their small business dreams while contributing to the local economy. But due to regulatory roadblocks, high fees, and time-consuming permitting and licensing processes, many entrepreneurs struggle to make their dreams a reality.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
The Institute for Justice (IJ) is a nonprofit, public interest government accountability law firm that litigates to secure the constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams. As part of the economic liberty pillar, Cities Work is IJ’s nonpartisan regulatory consulting initiative committed to increasing economic opportunity and fostering entrepreneurship in cities across the country. We partner with cities to make it cheaper, faster, and simpler to start a small business—all free of charge.
The Mayors Innovation Project is a national, nonpartisan peer learning network for US mayors and their senior staff dedicated to advancing equity, sustainability, and democracy in US cities. We work to bring fresh ideas and best practices to the mayors and cities we engage with, along with the support to put them into practice.
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What is the Regulatory Justice Initiative?
The Regulatory Justice Initiative: Expanding Access to Small Business Opportunity cohort is a partnership between the Mayors Innovation Project and Cities Work at the Institute for Justice. The RJI is a cohort opportunity for US cities that aims to make it cheaper, faster, and simpler to start a small business.
2025 Regulatory Justice Initiative Participants
The six US mayors and cities selected for the cohort represent a variety of city sizes, forms of government, geography, and local contexts. They include:
- Mayor Arunan Arulampalam and the City of Hartford, CT
- Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the City of Honolulu, HI
- Mayor Victor Treviño and the City of Laredo, TX
- Mayor Kim Norton and the City of Rochester, MN
- Mayor Helen Tran and the City of San Bernardino, CA
- Mayor Jan Kulmann and the City of Thornton, CO
Regulatory Justice Initiative in the news
Rochester named one of just six U.S. cities in new national small business program
According to a press release sent out today from the office of the Mayor, the city has been selected to take part in a new national effort designed to cut through the red tape that …
November 7, 2025Rochester selected for national small business initiative
Rochester has been selected as one of six cities nationwide to participate in the Regulatory Justice Initiative: Expanding Access to Small Business Opportunity. The program is led by the Mayors Innovation Project in partnership with Cities Work at the …
November 7, 2025Rochester selected as one of six U.S. cities for national small business initiative
The City of Rochester has been selected as one of six cities nationwide to join an inaugural national small business initiative. It is titled the “Regulatory Justice Initiative: Expanding Access to Small Business Opportunity” (RJI), …
November 7, 2025Rochester joins national initiative to boost small businesses growth
Rochester has been chosen as one of six cities nationwide to join the first-ever Regulatory Justice Initiative: Expanding Access to Small Business Opportunity. This initiative, led by the Mayors Innovation Project and Cities Work at the Institute for Justice, …
November 7, 2025- More Regulatory Justice Initiative posts
Why invest in regulatory reform? Hear from small business owners:
