GOP Lawmakers Continue Work Trimming Administrative Rules

An Assembly Republican effort to pare down the state’s administrative rules will continue this year.

The push known last session as “Right the Rules” will go by the new name “Red Tape Review.”

Administrative rules are the fine details of laws. They’re written by specialists in state agencies at the direction of the legislature.

Markesan Rep. Joan Ballweg said when those rules aren’t kept up to date, they can lead to burdensome paperwork for people running small businesses.

“Not only do they have to be able to comply with regulation, but they maybe also paying the bills and doing the HR work. So we’d much rather them being productive than just trying to fit in all the rules and regulations,” she said.

Ballweg said last session Republicans made it through about 20 percent of the state’s administrative code.