While most Wisconsinites wouldn’t consider the administrative rules process a particularly dynamic topic, it plays an important role in shaping our state’s regulatory environment. Unelected bureaucrats often hold substantial power when it comes to implementing new regulations and those regulations can have catastrophic consequences for taxpayers and small businesses.
Fortunately, Assembly Bill 251 and Senate Bill 168 – the state version of the REINS act – puts power back into the hands of officials elected by the people of Wisconsin. Under the REINS Act, new regulations which are estimated to have an economic impact of $10 million or more in any biennium must be approved by the state legislature.
The Assembly measure passed this week, with the Senate taking up the bill in the coming weeks. Should it be sent to Governor Walker’s desk and signed into law, Wisconsin will reaffirm its role as a national beacon of conservative reforms that promote economic growth and opportunity. We applaud the state legislature for putting taxpayers first and taking action to reduce burdensome regulations that suffocate small businesses and create a chaotic economic environment for job creators.