Committee approves bill to streamline administrative regulation review processes

The Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations voted to approve a bill intended to streamline the committee’s review of administrative regulations and clarify procedures for how staff and members handle regulatory materials.

Representative Derek Lewis, R-90, told the committee he has served as co‑chair of the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee and said the bill aims to reduce administrative burden and add clarity. “This bill is essentially just streamlining processes, making things more efficient, and giving clarity to what we do,” Lewis said.

Lewis described the variety of items the subcommittee sees, from hunting‑season dates to board of nursing issues and sign‑language interpreter matters, and said the changes are intended to make the monthly work of the subcommittee easier for staff and members.

Committee members had no extended debate on the measure. After the roll call, Chairman Cook announced the bill had passed and said he looked forward to seeing it on the House floor.

The measure will go next to the House for further consideration; committee members did not specify an effective date or any amendments during the committee vote.

While the bill was discussed during the committee’s agenda, staff members Karen Howard and Laura Began were present to answer procedural and technical questions, according to introductions at the hearing.

Representative Derek Lewis and committee staff characterized the bill as procedural and focused on improving efficiency rather than creating new substantive regulatory policies.

No formal amendments to the bill were reported during the committee session. Chairman Cook closed the item by congratulating the sponsor and moving on to the next agenda item.