Capitol Report: Working to regulate the regulations

Missouri’s economy has struggled as our state has led the nation in job losses. The only way to successfully overcome this situation is by creating a sustainable path of economic growth through private sector job creation. However, one of the greatest obstacles to private sector economic growth has become the ever increasing number of rules, regulations, and mandates being forced upon Missouri’s businesses.

As a business owner, I understand how over regulation stifles business productivity and expansion. The frightening part is that Missouri’s Code of State Regulations contains over 6500 rules and regulations that comprise more than 10,000 pages of mandates. These are not laws; these are additional rules on top of our state statutes that affect everything from our local farms and businesses to the education of our children. Like most other areas of government, this collection of administrative bureaucracy only continues to grow larger with each passing year as no process currently exists for evaluating the continued need or effectiveness of a given regulation.

As a result of this alarming trend, last week the Missouri Senate took the first step towards creating a process which will require every rule be reviewed every five years. Our goal is to create a process by which we apply a practical, real-world approach to determining which of our existing rules and regulations still apply to the world in which we now live. Those that stand in the way of economic growth and prosperity should be updated or eliminated. Those that remain necessary and vital should be renewed. Most importantly, our regulatory processes must become more adaptable to our ever-evolving economic environment.

It is time for our state government to be a partner in facilitating an economic environment where businesses can grow and communities can prosper. This means that our state government can no longer continue being a road block to progress. It is time for common sense to prevail as our communities work to fuel their opportunities and overcome their challenges.

As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is [email protected] and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.