Regulatory Reform Bills Advance in House and Senate

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

Last week, regulatory reform legislation supported by the PA Chamber was considered in both the House and Senate. 

The Senate adopted S.R. 226, which aims to help ensure the state is progressing toward a well-functioning and predictable regulatory and permitting program. The resolution requires an independent review of the programs under the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Chapters 102 and 105 programs, which are some of the most commonly utilized permitting programs, to evaluate their efficiency, identify where improvements might be needed and make recommendations to close any gaps. Prior to the Senate vote on the legislation, the PA Chamber sent a memo to that chamber urging support for the measure. The resolution was adopted unanimously after having been reported out of committee late last month in a bipartisan, unanimous vote.

In the House, the PA Chamber sent another memo to House State Government Committee members in support of two other regulatory reforms. House Bill 209 – which would ensure periodic reviews of existing regulations and make recommendations as to efficiencies and potential repeals – was amended and held in the committee for further consideration. House Bill 1792, which was scheduled for a vote and passed over in a House State Government Committee meeting, would allow the General Assembly to initiate a repeal of any regulation currently in effect through a concurrent resolution.