Regulatory Reform Works in Florida—It Can Work in Washington, Too
- BY FGA
Florida does things differently. For one thing, Florida doesn’t allow unelected bureaucrats to spend millions of taxpayer dollars without the legislature having a say.
In 2010, Florida passed a version of the REINS Act—which stands for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny—a simple measure that requires legislative approval for rules that adversely affect the economy or could increase regulatory costs by at least $1 million over five years.
This policy has helped bring much of the prosperity the Sunshine State currently enjoys through a pretty simple formula: Less government equals more prosperity. It has helped combat red tape by slowing down the number of new rules established by state agencies, and it has also been a big part of the state shaking off burdensome regulations.
For example, in Florida, the commissioner of agriculture is an elected state official not under the policy direction of the governor. In 2021, then-commissioner Nikki Fried attempted to initiate a statewide ban on Styrofoam. The Styrofoam ban worked its way through Florida’s rulemaking process and would have cost more than $1 million over five years, triggering Florida’s legislative approval requirement. The legislature opted not to approve the rule, and the Styrofoam ban—and its high costs for Florida taxpayers—was defeated.
In other states and at the federal level without REINS, this million-dollar rule change would have been implemented unopposed. It would’ve cost taxpayers, and they would’ve had no say whatsoever. REINS ensures there are no costly regulations without representation.
With record inflation, historic national debt, and a crushing regulatory environment, America can’t afford not to put in place a similar policy at the national level.
Just as in Florida, this law would require Congress to approve any rule originating from an agency that is estimated to cost more than a specific amount, in this case, $100 million.
A quick look at the current regulatory environment of the Biden administration is all it takes to see how desperately we need this in Washington. In his first year in office, President Biden issued more regulations than any other president in modern American history. These rules added $200 billion in regulatory costs in just one year. Rule upon expensive rule grows the size and expenditures of the federal government and crushes job creators and businesses. Ultimately, it’s the American taxpayer who foots the bill when massive government spending makes the economy sluggish and causes inflation to skyrocket.
That’s why Florida’s model for protecting taxpayers is so essential on a national level. It’s working in the Sunshine State—it can work in Washington, and by extension, the entire nation, too.
Congress was elected to make important decisions of policy on behalf of the voters who elect them—but when federal agencies make unilateral and wildly expensive decisions with no accountability, it’s the average American who loses.
This reform is wildly popular because it makes sense. Nearly seven in 10 likely voters support requiring bureaucratic agencies to gain legislative approval for new rules that will cost $100 million or more. And this type of legislation is not partisan—even majorities of Democrats (59 percent) and Independents (65 percent) support it.
In Florida, the people govern—in the most complete sense. Unelected bureaucrats don’t get to write blank checks using taxpayer dollars. Instead, executive oversight measures ensure that Floridians—from St. Augustine to Miami and everywhere in between—are truly represented when it comes to high-cost rules.
The rest of America deserves the same. It’s time to take this policy—which has been proven to work exceptionally well in Florida—and extend it to the rest of the nation. It’s time to rein in spending and executive overreach on a national level.
