Baker gives new regulations a breather
The Baker administration on Thursday imposed a temporary ban on new state regulations, with exceptions allowed for regulations that repeal "onerous" rules or which have public health or safety implications.
The pause in the regulatory process will last until March 31.
New governors over the years have frequently made unnecessary regulations a target, attempting to weed out certain rules that they see as hindering growth in regulated industries. Regulations are often put in place to detail compliance with previously approved laws.
In a memo to cabinet secretaries, Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore said the Baker administration's goal is to "modernize and simplify" state regulations. She said officials could develop a process to streamline regulations "in a manner that enables rather than encumbers" the state's citizens.
"A regulation should be straightforward, effective, and no more burdensome than necessary to achieve its purpose," Lepore wrote. "No regulation should be adopted (or remain in place) unless it is easy to understand and meets a specific, discreet need."
The regulatory pause, according to Lepore, will enable administration officials to focus squarely on the midyear state budget gap and assembling a fiscal 2016 budget. Baker during a radio interview on Thursday said he expected to have a plan by next Thursday to address the midyear gap, which he estimates is larger than $500 million.
In her memo, Lepore forbids state departments from sending a proposed regulation out for comment or filing a final regulation with Secretary of State William Galvin's office "without my express approval."
Exceptions may be made for regulations involving an agency that is required by state law to adopt a regulation by a certain date; if a regulation "substantially lessens" a regulatory burden or repeals an "onerous" regulation; if regulations are "essential for the public health, safety, environment or welfare" or if a regulation addresses an "unforeseen matter of public import."
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