Buckeye Reporter

On Sep 26th, all but four Ohio state agencies have either achieved or are on track to reach their 10% reduction target in regulatory restrictions, as mandated by SB9. The agencies falling short will have a chance to explain their reasons before the committee, while JCARR will continue to collaborate with all agencies to meet the 20% reduction goal by June 30th, 2024.

State Representative Jamie Callender commended the directors and rules administrators who have complied with the law to reduce regulation in Ohio. However, he expressed concern for the agencies that have failed to meet their goals, stating, "they will have the opportunity to inform the committee as to why they are disregarding the laws of the State of Ohio and maintaining over-burdensome regulations on Ohioans."

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), established by the Ohio General Assembly in 1977, is responsible for assessing new, revised, and repealed rules from various agencies. Its primary role is to ensure that these rules stay within the bounds of their legislative authority. JCARR has the power to suggest invalidating all or part of a rule if it determines that it exceeds agency authority, conflicts with legislative intent, conflicts with other rules, improperly references external materials, lacks a complete rule summary and fiscal analysis, adversely impacts businesses without proper justification, fails to justify a regulatory restriction, or enforces federal laws or rules more stringently than required.

Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted have announced a plan to eliminate almost one-third of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC). This initiative aims to target redundant sections, outdated provisions, and unnecessary requirements. Under Lt. Governor Husted's guidance, Ohio's Common Sense Initiative (CSI) has already identified portions of the OAC that are no longer in use, resulting in the removal of over 5 million words and 20,000 pages from Ohio's regulatory system. The goal of these reforms is to simplify compliance with the law, save time and money for individuals and businesses, and create a more business-friendly environment in Ohio. Some specific measures include removing redundant lottery game rules, streamlining higher education regulations, revising building codes, and introducing a virtual tool to track rule-adoption legislation.

Overall, the efforts to reduce excessive regulation in Ohio are making progress, with the majority of state agencies meeting or working towards their mandated 10% reduction target. The remaining agencies will have the opportunity to present their reasons for falling short before the committee. Moving forward, JCARR will continue to collaborate with all agencies to achieve the 20% reduction goal by June 30th, 2024.