The House State Government Committee is scheduled to meet on February 6 to consider a 5 bill regulatory and permit reform package that came out of the Committee’s report on Regulatory Overreach released January 16.

The legislation includes bills giving the General Assembly authority to repeal significant environmental and other regulations by doing nothing (House Bill 1237), taking the authority to issue delayed permits away from state agencies and giving it to third parties (House Bill 1959) and creating a new Regulatory Compliance Officers in each agency with the ability to waiver fines and penalties for any violations (House Bill 1960).

With respect to “reforming” the way regulations are adopted, a review of how often House and Senate standing committees and the General Assembly use the regulatory review tools they have now clearly shows they don’t use them very often or even comment on regulations that much.  Click Here for more.

The bills include--

-- Kill A Regulation By Doing Nothing: House Bill 1237 (Keefer-R-York) The General Assembly would be required to vote on a concurrent resolution to approve an economically significant regulation (which has an annual fiscal impact totaling $1 million or more on the government or private sector), in order for that regulation to go into effect.  If the General Assembly does nothing, the regulation cannot go into effect.  Click Here for more.

A similar bill was already passed by the Senate-- Senate Bill 561-- and is in the House State Government Committee. 

-- Taking Permit Reviews Away From State Agencies Giving It To Third Parties: House Bill 1959 (Rothman-R-Cumberland) Establishes the Pennsylvania Permit Act which requires agencies to create and develop a navigable online permit tracking system and takes authority to issue certain permits away from state agencies and gives it to third-party reviewers.  Click Here for more.

-- New Regulatory Compliance Officers With Authority To Waive Fines: House Bill 1960 (Ellis-R-Butler) Requires each agency to appoint a Regulatory Compliance Officer with the authority to waive fines and penalties if a permit holder attempts to comply.  Click Here for more.

-- New Office of The Repealer/Moratorium On New Regulations: House Bill 209 (Phillips-Hill-R-York): Establishes the Independent Office of the Repealer to undertake an ongoing review of existing regulations; receive and process recommendations; and make recommendations to the General Assembly, the governor, and executive agencies for repeal. 

Additional provisions of this legislation would both establish a moratorium on new regulatory burdens and create a process for “sunsetting” existing regulations by placing a cap on the number of regulations and requiring the repeal of two existing regulations for every  new regulation promulgated.

Click Here for more from an identical bill introduced last session-- House Bill 2408.

-- Repeal Any Regulation By Resolution: House Bill 1792 (Benninghoff-R-Mifflin) Gives the General Assembly the ability to initiate the repeal of any state regulation in effect by a concurrent resolution modeled after a federal procedure used successfully by the Trump Administration to repeal regulations (sponsor summary).

The meeting will be held in Room B-31 Main Capitol starting at 10:00.  Committee meetings are usually webcast on the House Republican website.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com.   Rep. Matthew Bradford (D-Montgomery) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: mbradford@pahouse.net.

Related Stories:

Analysis: How Do The Senate, House Use The Tools They Have Now To Review Agency Regulations?

House Committee Chair Releases Regulatory Overreach Report, Endorses Bill Authorizing Repeal Of Regulations By Doing Nothing

[Posted: Jan. 31, 2018]

2/5/2018