Gov. Ralph Northam today announced that his administration’s bipartisan effort to reduce regulations by 25 percent is on track and ahead of schedule.
“Reviewing regulatory requirements to ensure they are doing the job in the least restrictive way possible is just common sense,” said Northam. “This effort is already making our state agencies more efficient, giving our Commonwealth a strong regulatory reform model to replicate across state government. I am grateful for the work that has already been done, and remain committed to reducing burdensome regulations so that our regulatory system works better for all Virginians.”
In February 2018, Northam and General Assembly leaders of both parties endorsed a three-year effort to reduce or streamline regulations from two state agencies by 25 percent. That program was formally established by House Bill 883, which Northam signed into law in 2018.
Today, the Northam administration submitted to the General Assembly a progress report on that effort, detailing that the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, and the Department of Criminal Justice Services, have already reduced their regulatory burdens by around 10 percent, outpacing the schedule set by House Bill 883.
“Confirming that the requirements placed on Virginians and their state agencies line up with their needs and capacities is a sound financial decision, plain and simple,” said Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne. “We look forward to continuing this thoughtful approach to regulatory reform by expanding it to other executive branch agencies.”
While submitting the 2019 Regulatory Reform Report to the General Assembly, Secretary Layne pointed to additional opportunities to reduce red tape at state agencies. As noted in the report, the General Assembly defeated legislation in 2019 that could have contributed to even greater regulatory reductions at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.
In addition, Virginia’s biennial budget includes requirements for state agencies to submit hundreds of reports to the Governor and General Assembly, and hundreds more are required by the Code of Virginia. The Northam administration stands ready to work with the General Assembly to review these additional requirements on state agencies to determine whether duplicative or unnecessary reports can be streamlined or eliminated.
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