Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., is seeing increasing support for his legislative effort to significantly curb federal regulations with the “Regulation Decimation Act.”
The bill, aimed at rolling back what proponents call excessive government overreach, recently received a prominent highlight in a Washington Examiner op-ed penned by Kevin R. Kosar of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), signaling growing attention to Scott’s deregulatory agenda.
The “Regulation Decimation Act” proposes a strict “ten-for-one” rule for federal agencies. Under the bill, agencies would be required to repeal ten existing regulations before they are permitted to issue a single new one. This mechanism seeks to codify the principle behind an executive order issued during the Trump administration that aimed for a similar regulatory reduction.
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Furthermore, the bill includes a crucial cost-control measure. For any new “major rule” an agency seeks to implement, not only must ten existing regulations be repealed, but the projected cost of the new regulation cannot exceed the combined estimated cost savings from the ten regulations being eliminated. The bill requires publication of repealed rules in the Federal Register.
Scott positions the “Regulation Decimation Act” as a key component of his broader initiative to streamline government operations and alleviate what he describes as burdensome red tape on American businesses and citizens. This effort aligns with goals previously articulated by the Trump administration regarding regulatory reform.
In line with this push, Scott is also a cosponsor of other related legislative efforts, including the REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act) and the ERASER Act (Eliminating Redundant and Streamlining Excessive Regulations Act), all aimed at increasing congressional oversight of agency rulemaking and facilitating the removal of regulations.
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Upon introducing the “Regulation Decimation Act,” Senator Scott released a statement emphasizing the economic impact of federal regulations.
“The federal government has grown exponentially during the four years of the Biden administration, with hundreds of thousands of federal regulations costing Americans $1.9 TRILLION,” Senator Scott stated. “President Trump is committed to streamlining government to make it work better for the American people, and every agency should follow suit and cut waste and red tape within their own walls. It’s time to refocus our federal government and its agencies to be good stewards of American tax dollars and working better for the American people by passing the Regulatory Decimation Act to hold agencies accountable.”
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The proposed legislation also includes provisions requiring agencies to conduct reviews of their existing rules within 90 days of enactment to identify those that are costly, ineffective, duplicative, or outdated, and mandates a presidential report to Congress after five years detailing the status of rule reduction.
The bill applies to rules that impose costs or responsibilities on non-governmental entities or state/local governments, with certain exceptions for internal agency matters or rules being revised to be less burdensome.
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