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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 1, 2020 09:08 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Independent Office of the Repealer |
| Our Commonwealth has thousands of regulations on the books. Many of these acts and regulations were enacted several decades ago and have yet to be reexamined and evaluated in the intervening years as to their relevance, appropriateness and cost. It’s not only taxes that place a burden on the Commonwealth, its businesses and its citizens, it’s also excessive regulation. The Commonwealth does not undertake a regular and systematic independent review of existing regulations, nor possess an organized system to receive recommendations from the public, educators, business, government entities and others on recommendations for repeal, modification or revision of existing statutes and regulations. Therefore, in the near future I will be reintroducing Senate Bill 251 of last session which will establish the Independent Office of the Repealer. This office will undertake an ongoing review, receive and process recommendations, evaluate the merits of recommendations in accordance with decision rules and quantitative and qualitative criteria, and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor and Executive agencies for repeal, modification or revision. Additionally, this piece of legislation will also implement a one-in, two-out model for new regulations. For every new regulation added, two must be repealed. Presently there is no legislative authority providing for an independent, regular and systematic review of existing statutes and regulations to a) reduce or eliminate unreasonable, unduly burdensome, duplicative, onerous, outdated or conflicting statutes that hinder efficiency, understanding, liberty or are detrimental to economic well-being; b) bring statutes up to date to be in harmony with modern conditions; c) foster a more business friendly climate; d) make laws easier to read and understand by a layman. Whereas proposed new regulations are already addressed by legislation and an executive order, this bill will begin to address the tremendous body of existing acts and regulations which have accumulated since the founding of our Commonwealth. The bill will include a sunset date of five years specifically for the Independent Office of the Repealer to ensure it is able to properly review all regulations and make necessary recommendations while still allowing the other provisions of the bill to remain in place and prevent future over regulation. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation to help foster effective, efficient and responsive government. Previous co-sponsors were Senators Gordner, Hutchinson, DiSanto, Mensch, K. Ward, J. Ward, Brooks, Martin, and Regan. |
Introduced as SB233