Senator Gavarone Announces First Phase of Regulation Reduction Submitted to JCARR

COLUMBUS—Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) Vice Chair State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Chair State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord) announced that with the deadline passed for all state agencies to submit their rule reduction reports, all but 4 agencies have or are on track to hit their target of a 10% reduction in regulatory restrictions. This reduction in regulatory restrictions is part of the process outlined in Senate Bill 9 (134th General Assembly, McColley/Roegner) with the goal of reducing excessive regulation in the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC).
 
Included as part of Senate Bill 9 is a timeframe for when agencies must achieve certain milestones in regulatory restriction reductions. Beginning with an inventory of all agency regulations created at the end of 2019, a net 10% reduction was required by June 30th, 2023, a 20% reduction is required by June 30th, 2024, and a final 30% reduction is due on June 30th, 2025. Included within this reduction is a provision that requires any new regulatory restriction proposed be accompanied by a reduction of two existing regulatory restrictions. Also included is a cap on the total number of regulatory restrictions that can exist in Ohio after July 1, 2025.
 
As part of the annual report due to JCARR, all of the agencies required to do so have submitted their progress reports. Of the 27 agencies required to submit reports, the following agencies have met the requirement to reduce regulatory restrictions by at least 10%:
 Department of Commerce
Department of Job and Family Services
Department of Veterans Services
Department of Administrative Service (22%)
Department of Aging (28%)
Bureau of Workers Compensation (16%)
Department of Development (11%)
Department of Developmental Disabilities (25%)
Environmental Protection Agency (13.6%)
Department of Medicaid (18%)
Mental Health and Addition Services (14%)
Office of Budget Management (30%)
Casino Control Commission (19%)
Lottery Commission (13.25%)
Department of Public Safety (16%)
Public Utilities Commission (17%)
Department of Transportation (22%)
Department of Youth Services (22%)
 
4 agencies did not achieve the 10% reduction in restrictions as of the June 30th deadline but have demonstrated a concrete plan to achieve their 10% reduction by the end of the year. These agencies are the Ohio Departments of: Agriculture (0.36%, on track to 13%), Education (9.25%, on track to 10%), Insurance (0.66%, on track to 10%), and Taxation (4%, on track to 13.2%). Each of these agencies proposed rule packages that have been or soon will be submitted to JCARR for review and explained to JCARR in their report filings.
 
However, 4 agencies have not reached the 10% reduction target or demonstrated a plan to achieve this requirement in a timely fashion. Those agencies are the Ohio Departments of Higher Education (6.59%), Natural Resources (9%), Rehabilitation and Corrections (4.1%), and the State Racing Commission (0.19%). These agencies will be requested to come before JCARR and answer questions to explain why they have failed to achieve the statutory requirement of a 10% reduction in regulatory restrictions.

“I want to applaud both the directors and rules administrators who have complied with the letter and spirit of the law to reduce regulation in Ohio” said JCARR Chair State Representative Jamie Callender. “As for the agencies who have failed to achieve their statutory goals, they will have the opportunity to inform the committee as to why they are disregarding the laws of the state of Ohio and maintaining over-burdensome regulations on Ohioans."

“In Ohio, we cut red tape, reducing the regulations that weigh down our citizens and small businesses,” Senate Majority Whip Gavarone said. “Through the JCARR process, I will continue pushing hard to hold agencies accountable to ensure that government is working for, not against, the citizens of Ohio.”
 
“We have a commitment to limit our government and provide oversight on behalf of all Ohioans,” State Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) said. “We will work to ensure that all agencies achieve compliance with the law.”
 
“We are proud of the progress made in our pursuit of reducing regulatory burdens on Ohioans. The agencies who have met their reduction targets deserve recognition and we look forward to working with those that are still striving to reach their goal to provide relief from excessive regulation,” said State Representative Brett Hudson Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville)
 
Agencies failing to achieve their regulatory restriction goals will be requested to appear before JCARR at the committee’s October 30, 2023 meeting. JCARR is required to give agencies that have not sufficiently reduced restrictions the opportunity to show cause why their target reduction amount should be lessened.
 
With the June 30th, 2023 reports submitted, JCARR will continue to work with agencies to achieve their 20% reduction in regulatory restrictions due to be completed on June 30th, 2024 under Senate Bill 9.