Rein in Regulations or Open the Floodgates?
President Joe Biden unilaterally opened the floodgates for federal regulations.
“The more laws and restrictions there are, the poorer people become. The more rules and regulations, the more thieves and robbers.” – Lao Tzu
A few weeks ago, President Joe Biden unilaterally rescinded former President Trump’s Executive Order 13771, essentially opening the floodgates for federal regulations.
We’ve highlighted the success of President Trump’s Executive Order to our followers before. In addition to placing constraints on the total number of regulations, Trump put a cap on how much regulations could cost the public.
While legislative bodies have the sole authority to levy taxes and appropriate new spending, federal regulators have historically had a blank check to “spend” as much money as they want by imposing regulations that cost the businesses dearly to comply.
By forcing agencies to reduce regulatory costs, the Trump administration saved the public billions.
In Montana, we’ve seen proposed regulatory actions threaten to destroy small businesses around the state. And the truth is, nothing in state law really stands in the way of an agency hell-bent on issuing a costly regulation. State law allows the legislature to issue their disagreement, citizens can voice their concerns during hearings, but at the end of the day, a costly regulation can simply be imposed on the public.
Thankfully, Montana leaders are proposing reforms. Senator Chris Friedel introduced the REINS (Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny) Act, which places a limit on regulatory costs. Under Friedel’s REINS Act, regulations that significantly impact our economy must be introduced as legislation rather than imposed on the public.
This bill, coupled with Governor Gianforte’s efforts to reduce unnecessary red tape, will stand in stark contrast to President Biden “opening the floodgates” on federal regulations. Thankfully, Montana lawmakers are seizing the opportunity to follow President Trump’s lead and deliver transformational reform for our economy.
For Liberty,
Kendall Cotton
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The Latest
Certificate of Need… for garbage?
1. HB 338 from Rep. Caleb Hinkle of Belgrade will abolish the state’s requirement that any new trash hauler must first receive a “Certificate of Public Need and Convenience”from the Public Service Commission to operate.
Our Take:
Restricting new businesses based on “need” determined by the government sounds like something from 20th century communist Russia, not a freedom loving state like Montana. We’ve cited abundant research that shows how Certificate of Need laws in healthcare stifle competition and raise costs for consumers. The laws of supply and demand work the same for garbage! We’re glad that Rep. Hinkle is bringing this bill.
2. We’re going live! Join us on Wednesday, February 24th at 6 PM for a Facebook Live discussion with Frontier of Privacy Fellow Eric Fulton.
Eric will be breaking down how governments increasingly leverage new technologies to spy on their citizens and will provide recommendations for how Montanans can keep our privacy secure.
RSVP here: https://fb.me/e/3DKRQ333P
3. This week we issued our support for SB 203 brought Senator Ken Bogner. SB 203 updates protections for Montanans’ right to privacy by making clear that Montana’s Constitution safeguards electronic data and communications from warrantless searches and seizures. Our testimony received coverage in the newspaper. Check it out!