ALEC Policy Champions Return Major Rule-Making Authority to Utah Legislature
Representative Ryan Wilcox and Senator Daniel McCay work together to reduce agency overreach in Utah.
ALEC is proud to recognize Utah Representative Ryan Wilcox and Senator Daniel McCay as our newest Policy Champions for their leadership in reining in agency overreach and advancing accountable governance in Utah.
Rep. Wilcox led the charge on HB 474 in the House, with Sen. McCay sponsoring the measure it in the Senate. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law on March 27th. The landmark legislation requires that any ‘major’ agency rule receive approval from the legislature before taking effect.
HB 474 prohibits the implementation of any proposed agency rule with an estimated economic impact of $2 million or more over five years without prior legislative approval. The law also empowers the public to provide feedback on existing occupational regulations, requiring that input to be compiled into a report for review by the Business and Labor Interim Committee.
The bill takes a similar approach to ALEC’s Targeted Legislative Review Act (one of our ALEC Essential Policy Solutions for 2025). The model policy creates a Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) to provide independent economic analysis of proposed rules. If the LEAU determines that the rule qualifies as a “major” rule, then the rule must receive approval from the legislature. This prevents unelected bureaucrats from implementing rules with “major” economic impact, instead returning this power to elected officials in the state.
Federal D.O.G.E. initiatives put a spotlight on regulatory reform, and states like Utah are using this momentum to reduce their state-level regulatory burdens. Kentucky recently overrode Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a similar reform, while Kansas passed a bill sharing similarities to the Targeted Legislative Review Act. With the passage of the Utah bill, the Beehive State became the sixth state in the country to pass REINS Act-style language.
Congratulations to Rep. Wilcox and Sen. McCay on their success in reigning in the regulatory state in Utah!