House subcommittee advances bill to force review, sunset and economic tests for state regulations

A House Labor, Commerce and Industry (LCI) Regulatory Review Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance House Bill 3021 — the “Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act” — to the full committee after testimony from business groups, regulators and public-safety stakeholders.

The bill, as described by Representative Jeff Bradley, chair of the Regulations Committee, would require a periodic automatic sunset review of agency regulations, create a regulatory “budget” that generally requires agencies proposing a new regulation to identify two existing regulations for removal, and require enhanced economic analysis for proposals with large fiscal impacts. "The idea is to reduce by 25% the regulations that our folks are having to deal with," Bradley said, adding that the measure would strengthen the Small Business Regulatory Review Committee and change judicial deference in administrative-law cases.

Supporters said the bill would lower costs and speed commerce. Tim Frost, senior fellow at the Cicero Institute, described outcomes in Idaho following mandatory sunsets and consolidation of boards, and said the measure would lower housing and medical costs, reduce occupational-licensing barriers and speed permitting. "This is gonna help with housing affordability and home ownership for young families," Frost said. Industry and small-business witnesses — including Betty Gail Nichols of Red Bug Barn and Kathleen Stevens of Rainbow Rooster Boutique — testified…