Guadagno Oversees Reduction Of NJ Red Tape

Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today convened the first public meeting of the ongoing Red Tape Review Commission charged with providing oversight over long-term, responsible reform of obsolete, redundant and otherwise ineffectual regulatory barriers that encumber job creation, economic growth and investment throughout New Jersey. Created by Executive Order 41, the nine-member, bi-partisan panel chaired by the Lt. Governor heard close to three hours of public testimony from public and private stakeholders representing a wide array of industries. This included members from the academic sector, business partnerships, building and real estate associations, and the healthcare field, among others.
“A wave of economic reform is sweeping the country, and at its heart is the widely accepted view that there needs to be substantive yet sensible improvements to statewide regulatory policies that are duplicative, have outlived their effectiveness or otherwise exceed original intent,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “This banner of reform is being taken up by governors of both parties, yet thanks to the foresight of Governor Christie, New Jersey was at the forefront of these efforts. The ongoing Red Tape Review Commission will ensure the New Jersey model will continue to be followed nationwide.”
The ongoing Red Tape Review Commission had its origins in the first days of the Christie administration, when the Governor addressed the issue of regulatory reform through a series of Executive Orders. Among them was the creation of “common-sense principles” for rulemaking and permitting to be adhered to across state government (EO 2, 2010), the establishment of the initial Red Tape Review Group charged with issuing both a 90 and 180-day comprehensive review of rules to the Governor (EO 3), and the order that no state agency could create new regulatory and/or legal unfunded mandates (EO 4).
The results of such efforts have already welcomed real, tangible results. This is most telling in the size of the New Jersey Register, which consists of adopted regulations and those proposed for adoption by executive branch departments. At the end of 2008, the Register was comprised of 7,020 pages. At the close of 2010, it had been reduced to 3,012 pages, less than half of where it stood only two years earlier.
“The first year of our administration’s comprehensive regulatory reform initiatives yielded tremendous results,” added Guadagno. “It’s a great first step – but only that, a first step. The ongoing Red Tape Review Commission will not only continue this progress, but further spread the news far and wide that it’s a new day in New Jersey, one defined by an environment welcoming to business and amenable to investment.”
Other members of the Commission include Senator Steven Oroho, Senator Brian P. Stack, Assemblyman John Burzichelli, Assemblyman Scott Rumana, Mayor Brian D. Levine, Edward B. Deutsch, John Galandak, and Tony Monteiro. A copy of the comprehensive 90 and 180-day review reports to the Governor can be found here and here. A copy of Executive Order 41 creating the ongoing, bi-partisan Red Tape Review Commission can be found here.