New Research and Testimony on Regulatory Reform in Montana, Washington, and Kansas

Regulatory Snapshots for Montana and Washington State

James Broughel | State Snapshot

From the snapshot: "It would take an ordinary person more than two and a half years to read the entire US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which contained nearly 104 million words in 2017. The sheer size of the CFR poses a problem not just for the individuals and businesses that want to stay in compliance with the law but also for anyone interested in understanding the consequences of this massive system of rules. States also have sizable regulatory codes, which add an additional layer to the large body of federal regulation.”

Cutting Red Tape in Kansas

James Broughel | State Testimony

From the testimony: "The state of Kansas has nearly 71,000 regulatory restrictions on its books as of early 2019. It has about as much regulation as the national government in Canada, based on estimates from the Mercatus Center. A budgeting system for regulations could help prevent unwanted regulatory accumulation in Kansas while also granting state regulators the flexibility to address new and evolving problems. The successful experience of British Columbia since 2001 offers a roadmap for how to implement such a reform. Other US states such as Kentucky and Virginia are following British Columbia’s successful example.

If Kansas can consistently increase its economic growth rate each year, this would have profound implications for the opportunities available to state residents, both in the near term as well as far into the future. Establishing a regulatory budget is a smart step toward achieving this goal.”