- "The current process is not transparent. We can do better, and we owe it to the people that we serve to do better," said Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash.
If a regulation created by officials in the executive branch is going to have significant economic impacts upward of $1 million, then the North Carolina General Assembly should have a statutory role in approving the proposed rule, said lawmakers on Tuesday.
Bill sponsors in the North Carolina House and Senate say the REINS Act provides greater government accountability in the regulatory reform process, returning power to the people and their representatives.
During a press conference, they argued that unelected officials in agencies often have more power to impact the lives of North Carolina residents than the elected officials representing them.
“The NC REINS Act is about giving the people of North Carolina a stronger voice in the rules that shape their lives,” said Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash. “Right now, unelected bureaucrats can impose regulations with major financial consequences without direct oversight from the General Assembly. The current process is not transparent. We can do better, and we owe it to the people that we serve to do better.”
Currently, rules are typically enacted once approved by the Rules Review Commission, which consists of ten commissioners appointed by leaders of the General Assembly. However, the bill would require legislative approval for any permanent rule with a substantial economic annual impact of $1 million or more.
The Office of State Budget Management has flagged an average of 55 rules a year as having some form of economic impact over the past five years. Of the 55 rules, only 11 hit the threshold of over $1 million in economic impact to trigger this review process, something Chesser said is a “manageable number” that counters any critics that say the rule would turn the General Assembly into a full-time regulatory body.
“I’ve spent over 30 years in the building industry, and I’ve seen how heavy handed rules can weigh down hard working folks,” said Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson. “Senate Bill 290 reins that in. It ensures that the General Assembly maintains the authority to approve those rules, not an unaccountable bureaucrat tucked away somewhere in an agency office. This is accountability, plain and simple.”
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According to data from Americans for Prosperity, 80% of North Carolinians agree that new state regulations that could have a major impact on North Carolina’s economy and taxpayers should require approval from our state legislature before going into effect. The data includes 88% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats.
“This is not about Republicans at the General Assembly reining in a Democratic governor,” said Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation. “This is about good governance overall, and reestablishing accountability and transparency to democratic governments.”
More than 20 states are currently hearing some form of the REINS Act. North Carolina’s proposal is similar to Florida law, which mandates legislative approval for any permanent rule with over $1 million in economic impact.
Indiana and Kansas both enacted REINS bills, and Wyoming has already enacted one in 2025. In South Carolina, the state House unanimously passed a package last week containing REINS provisions.
Though it did pass through the House Regulatory Reform Committee on Tuesday morning, it did not receive unanimous support. Democrats in opposition to the bill mentioned concerns of separations of powers and a burdensome extra layer. One legislator said if this is going to be done at the state level, reining in the executive branch should also be done at the federal level.