Officials with governor’s office tout regulatory rollbacks in meeting with county commissioners

Two officials with Gov. Brad Little’s administration met with Washington County commissioners last week as part of outreach efforts in rural counties.
 Bobbi-Jo Meuleman, director of intergovernmental affairs for the governor’s office, was joined by budget chief Alex Adams and District 9 legislator Judy Boyle, R-Midvale in the visit to Weiser.
 Adams also oversees regulatory issues for Little’s administration and touted the “rollback of red tape” that the Republican governor has pursued since he took office in January.
 The governor and the Legislature set a goal of cutting or simplifying 60 percent of all rules by the end of 2019. It looks like the effort will exceed that and the number could come in at 70 percent of rules and regulations, Adams said.  
 The package of reduced and revised rules and regulations in state code will go before lawmakers during the next session for review.
 He offered an example of the kind of unnecessary, outdated or even “silly” state regulations the governor seeks to remove or revise.
 Adams said there were not one but two chapters adopted in 1961 that outline the dress code and conduct for the Department of Agriculture’s deputy veterinarian.
 Adams said Vice President Mike Pence had singled out Idaho’s regulatory rollback as something all states should be doing.
 Commissioner Kirk Chandler asked Adams if the red tape reduction would run into any opposition.
 The response from Adams was likely not a lot. The process to reduce the amount of regulations was open and inclusive. There were 96 meetings to generate public input. Each state agency was required to accept written comments for 21 days.
 “For the most part, I think the governor outlined a process that involved the public,” Adams said.
 Adams said there will always be some politically charged state regulations with supporters and detractors, such as rules on immunizations and school science standards.
 Meuleman said Idaho might be the least-regulated state in the nation when the process is completed and the Legislature signs off on the red tape reduction.
 Gov. Little issued two executive orders during his first month in office on Jan. 31 of this year that followed up on campaign promises.
 The Red Tape Reduction Act and the Licensing Freedom Act. Both measures are aimed at reducing what the governor said were regulatory burdens on residents and businesses.
 The licensing order calls for an overhaul of the state’s occupational licensing laws. The red tape order requires state agencies to propose two rules for simplification or elimination for each new rule it brings forth.
 In the executive order, Little noted that Idaho’s Administrative Code has grown to 736 chapters, totaling more than 8,200 pages and containing more than 72,000 restrictions.
 In a July guest opinion, Little said efforts over the previous six months had cut 900 pages of regulations and “undeniably transformed Idaho’s administrative code into a set of rules that are easier for Idahoans to understand and navigate.”