06/23/2017
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released a report on the compliance of state agencies with a law that requires them to regularly review their regulations. The report shows state agencies are following the law, which requires a review of all associated state regulations every five years to ensure none exist that are unnecessary or overly burdensome.
"These reviews are important because they put the burden on the state and serve as a gut check on whether these regulations benefit citizens," Auditor Galloway said. "They also discourage outdated or unnecessary rules that bog down government, making it harder for average Missourians to navigate the bureaucracy to get the services they need."
State law requires reviews for the 22 state agencies and types of government entities in the State Code of Regulations every five years. This report covers the first six state agencies whose reviews were due to be completed by June 30, 2016. It shows all six agencies completed the necessary requirements. The agencies assessed for purposes of this report include the Office of Administration and the Departments of Agriculture, Conservation, Economic Development, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Higher Education. Together, these agencies reviewed more than 1,300 separate regulations in order to maintain compliance with the law.
The second round of regulatory reviews is due to be completed by June 30, 2017, and includes the Departments of Transportation, Labor and Industrial Relations, Mental Health, and Natural Resources. The State Auditor will release a report on the compliance of those agencies later this year.
The review did not include later duplicative review requirements created by executive order. Executive Order 17-03 states that "Every State Agency shall undertake a review of every regulation under its jurisdiction." As noted, these reviews are already required by Section 536.175, RSMo, which became law in 2012.
A complete copy of the report is online here.
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