Bill would create Office of Regulatory Efficiency and Oversight to review state rules

Grant Bossie, deputy chief of staff for the New Hampshire Senate, introduced Senate Bill 93 on behalf of Senator Dan Ennis and said the bill would create an Office of Regulatory Efficiency and Oversight administratively attached to the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. "Senator Ennis wants to ensure that the New Hampshire rule making process includes the voices of the private sector, innovators, and job creators," Bossie said.

Drew Klein, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, testified in favor and offered detailed implementation recommendations. Klein said New Hampshire ranks 18th in regulatory burden in a recent Mercatus Center study and pointed to similar offices in other states, notably Virginia, which the witness said had reported large reductions in regulatory costs after creating an office with a similar mission. Klein recommended statutory requirements that state agencies catalog and regularly review their regulations, that the office maintain a public transparency portal and cost tallies, and that the office propose least‑restrictive alternatives in rulemaking.

Committee members asked whether such oversight belongs in the executive branch or the legislature. Klein said an administrative office with dedicated staff can build day‑to‑day relationships with agencies and work to reduce burdens while noting a complementary role for legislative review of high‑cost rules.

No formal action was taken. Witnesses recommended technical amendments to clarify duties, timelines for agency reviews, and transparency measures. Committee members asked for written examples and cross‑state comparisons; Klein agreed to provide drafting suggestions and links to other states’ models.