Lee Schalk Testimony in Maryland: Boosting Government Efficiency & Transparency
ALEC Senior Vice President of Policy Lee Schalk testified before the Maryland House Government, Labor and Elections Committee on HB1079 in regard to establishing an Office of Regulatory Management, similar to Virginia’s, to increase government efficiency and transparency while reducing burdensome regulations.
Read his testimony below:
Chairwoman Wells, Vice Chairman Kerr, and Members of the Government, Labor and Elections Committee:
My name is Lee Schalk, Senior Vice President of Policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). At the invitation of Delegate Tom Hutchinson, I appreciate the opportunity to share ALEC’s nonpartisan research and analysis on HB 1079.
ALEC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Virginia made up of state legislators from across the country. Our mission is to promote the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism to strengthen both states and their citizens.
Today, I will be highlighting key reforms within HB 1079 that increase government efficiency and transparency while reducing burdensome regulations on Maryland citizens and businesses.
The best evidence for what HB 1079 can accomplish has already played out in a neighboring state. In 2022, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 19 to create the Office of Regulatory Management – ORM – to bring consistency to the regulatory procedure and create a review process for existing regulations. Though the new Virginia Governor’s administration already removed the ORM website, I will gladly run through several of the highlights.
The office was created with three primary objectives in mind: reduce burdensome regulations in Virginia by 25% to improve efficiency in the permitting approval process, and increase transparency through cost-benefit analysis.
Virginia’s ORM exceeded these goals. By late 2025, the Office had saved Virginia an estimated $1.2 billion each year and reduced or streamlined regulations by over 35 percent. Regulatory review times in the Governor’s office were 88% faster than historical averages. Additionally, every regulation and guidance document was publicly available online.
These reductions translated into real, tangible improvements for Virginians. Average professional license processing times decreased from 33 days to just five days. Thanks to updates to the building code, the Office estimated that the cost of building a new home fell by $24,000.
The Virginia reform resembles the ALEC model policy An Act to Establish the Office of Regulatory Management, which is featured in the publication ALEC Essential Policy Solutions for 2026. The purpose of the model policy is straightforward: create an institutional structure that enhances transparency, reduces unnecessary regulatory burdens, and ensures that new regulations are evidence-based and cost-effective. HB 1079 reflects these same core principles.
HB 1079 aims to ensure that every regulation on the books is achieving its intended purpose – efficiently, transparently, and at the lowest reasonable cost to the people of Maryland.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak and I am happy to answer any questions.