Senate Bill Would Require Approval Of Regulations By The General Assembly, Governor

Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin) Tuesday announced he has introduced legislation-- Senate Bill 561-- to prohibit regulations with an economic impact of $1 million or more from being imposed without approval by the General Assembly and Governor.

Under the measure, no regulation with an economic impact or cost to the Commonwealth, to its political subdivisions, and to the private sector exceeding $1 million could be imposed without approval of the General Assembly and Governor.

The bill requires the Independent Fiscal Office to verify any cost estimates prior to submitting the regulation for review by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. In 2015, that would have meant 74 regulations, according to the IRRC.
The IRRC reviewed 32 final regulations in 2015 which the General Assembly would be required to approve under this legislation

The bill makes no mention of any review of the potential benefits a regulation may generate.

“This legislation is needed to strengthen political accountability for regulatory policy and protect our economy from undue burdens on business and job creation,” Sen. DiSanto said.

Currently, the regulatory review process requires the General Assembly to pass a concurrent resolution disapproving a regulation. However, the Governor must sign the disapproval resolution to bar his own agencies from enacting the regulation, the senator noted.

“Reversing this process and requiring concurrent resolutions of approval will reinforce the constitution’s balance of powers. While the General Assembly delegates legal authority to executive agencies, it is essential that the General Assembly have the final say on legislative intent for economically significant regulations,” he said.

“I was sent to Harrisburg to protect taxpayers and employers from the growing burden of state government and to encourage entrepreneurialism and job growth,” Sen. DiSanto said. “These measures are just two of the steps necessary to restore government that serves the people, instead of the other way around.”

The bill was referred to the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee since the bill amends the Regulatory Review Act.

A sponsor summary is available.