SB 2291: Regulatory reduction pilot program

Senate Bill 2291, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, would create a pilot program for five state agencies to reduce their regulations by 30 percent over the next three years. It begins by requiring each agency to count every rule and regulation under its jurisdiction, then eliminate ones that are outdated or unnecessary for public health and safety. The bill would also require each pilot agency to eliminate two or more rules/regulations for each new one they propose. When they’ve reached a 30 percent reduction, they would be required to eliminate one for each new one they propose.  

Economists have estimated that if regulations had been frozen at 1980s levels, the U.S. economy would be over $4 trillion larger than it currently is. That’s over $13,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. And regulatory accumulation has a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged populations, who often can neither navigate the complexity nor afford the price of entry into business ownership. 

Similar reductions in the past have been demonstrated effective in other places. In the last decade, lawmakers in British Columbia worked with public sector workers to streamline, reducing regulations by over 40 percent. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little led an effort to repeal the entire regulatory code and replace it with a smaller package.  

Reform is possible, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so in the Magnolia State. Mississippi currently has 118,000 regulations, totaling 9.3 million words, making it the most regulated state in the Southeast.  

This is a pilot program that would include the Departments of Education, Finance and Administration, Health, Information Technology, and Transportation. Each of these agencies would be required to implement a 10 percent reduction each year for the next three years. 

Empower Mississippi supports this legislation.  

SB 2291 has been referred to the Senate Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee. You can read the bill here.