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Now that we're a few weeks into the legislative session, the House has begun voting on a few measures on the floor.

On Thursday, we heard House Bill 2728, which helps reform the administrative rules process through the creation of the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. This is modeled after similar legislation that was introduced in Congress last year.

Administrative rules are the main way government implements regulations onto citizens, but the process to approve administrative rules is complicated and often flies under the radar.

Essentially, after the Legislature passes a law, state agencies draft and propose the regulations necessary for its implementation. Agencies submitted 266 packets this year, totaling thousands of pages. The Legislature then reviews these rules and can disapprove them. Once a rule takes effect, it holds the same legal weight as a law.

However, unlike other legislative measures, lawmakers can only reject rules in part or in whole but cannot amend individual rules. If the Legislature takes no action, the rules advance to the governor, who follows the same process. If the governor doesn’t address them, they automatically take effect.

Under the REINS Act, all proposed rules would be submitted with an economic impact statement, while proposed rules with a projected fiscal impact of at least $1 million over the first five years would require separate proactive legislative approval.

Additionally, HB2728 would also establish the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to provide independent reviews of agencies' economic impact statements to ensure accuracy and completeness, with all analyses made available online. This is modeled after many states that have put in place this third-party evaluation system for administrative rules, which has saved millions in cutting excess red tape and ensuring legislative intent is followed.

The House voted 86-3 to approve the REINS Act this week, marking a major step toward reforming the administrative rules process and ensuring lawmaking authority remains in the hands of the elected Legislature.

I also was proud to host two Bartlesville High School seniors as Pages this week!

Blythe Murray and Emma Perry participated in the House High School Page Program, which is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn more about their state government. Blythe and Emma were able to work in the House chamber during session, assist legislators and staff with various tasks, and take part in the House Page Mock Legislature.

It was great to get to know these two outstanding students and answer all their questions this week. Blythe plans to study political science or international relations at OU, while Emma plans to study agribusiness at OSU. I know they'll do amazing things throughout their lives!

As always, please reach out to my office with questions or concerns regarding legislation. You can contact me at (405) 557-7358 or john.kane@okhouse.gov.

John Kane, a Republican, serves House District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Tulsa and Washington counties.