Ferguson, Lorenz Introduce REINS Proposal

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) and Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) recently introduced legislation modeled after the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, a federal legislative proposal that promotes the separation of power between the state legislative and executive branches in relation to administrative rulemaking.

House Bill 11 aims to increase legislative oversight of administrative agency rulemaking by requiring legislative review of proposed agency regulations with certain financial or economic impacts before the regulations become effective.

“Ohioans are tired of unelected regulators making the rules, and we intend to shine a light on that process,” said Ferguson.

More specifically, the bill will require legislative review of a proposed rule if it increases the agency’s expenditures by $100,000 or more or costs affected parties $100,000 or more in compliance costs.

“The REINS Act is a pivotal piece of legislation to check state overreach and ensure Ohioans have the tools available, should they need to defend their rights,” said Lorenz. “This helps to solidify the expectations of separate but equal powers our Founding Fathers envisioned for our Republic.”

The legislation awaits a committee assignment.