(The Center Square) – A group of three bills dubbed the red tape reset aimed at cutting down on regulations in state government are expected to get a vote in the Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday.
The set of bills include regulatory sunsetting, regulatory budgeting, a one rule per scope statement and a proposal challenging the validity of administrative rules.
“These reforms are about unlocking human potential,” Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin, said in a statement to The Center Square. “A young entrepreneur with a great idea shouldn’t be buried under layers of bureaucracy before they even get started. We want Wisconsin to be a place where innovation can thrive.”
There are currently 165,000 restrictions in state law with the sunsetting bill requiring all chapters of administrative code be reviewed, updated or allowed to expire every seven years.
Bradley said in testimony that the large level of regulations “wastes more than just ink and paper; it wastes human potential.”
The laws will require that, when a new rule adds costs for businesses, families or local governments, those costs must be offset.
“Overregulation is a barrier to growth and innovation,” Bradley said. “I know that we can protect the public while also making it easier to live, work, and build a future here.”
The single scope bill blocks allowing agencies to use a single scope statement to create multiple regulations over time.
The challenge bill would require courts to award attorney fees and costs to plaintiffs who successfully challenge unlawful administrative rules.
The Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty is an advocate for the bills and recently showed that a 20% reduction in regulatory restrictions in the state would increase Wisconsin’s economy by $23 billion by 2037.
