Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB462

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/19/25

Caption

Further providing for definitions and for existing regulations; and establishing the Office of Government Efficiency and providing for its power and duties.

Summary

SB 462 would amend Pennsylvania’s Regulatory Review Act to add new definitions and revise the process for reviewing existing regulations. It directs the Independent Regulatory Review Commission to review regulations that have been in effect for at least three years, gives priority to reviews requested by legislative committees, and allows the commission to recommend changes to agencies, the General Assembly, and the Governor when regulations appear contrary to the public interest. The bill also adds a requirement that, when an agency promulgates a new regulation, it identify at least two existing regulations for repeal unless prohibited by law. The bill further creates a new, temporary, nonpartisan Office of Government Efficiency within the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. That office would be tasked with developing criteria to identify statutes and regulations that are unreasonable, duplicative, burdensome, economically harmful, defective, or inconsistent with a common-sense approach to government. It would conduct systematic reviews of laws and regulations, maintain a public website for suggestions and waste reports, track recommendations and their status, and issue annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly. The office would be set up by a three-member selection committee and would sunset five years after the effective date.

Impact

SB 462 would affect Pennsylvania administrative law by expanding oversight of existing regulations and creating a new mechanism for identifying statutes and regulations for modification, revision, or repeal. It would also impose a new procedural expectation on agencies to pair new regulations with the identification of at least two existing regulations for repeal where legally permissible. The bill would create a new Commonwealth agency for Right-to-Know Law purposes and would require annual reporting and public-facing transparency tools, while leaving final action on statutory changes to the General Assembly and on regulatory changes to the relevant state agency.

Sentiment

The bill appears generally supportive of regulatory review, government streamlining, and efficiency-focused oversight. Its structure and findings language suggest a reform-oriented, anti-bureaucracy approach that is likely intended to appeal to lawmakers concerned about duplication, waste, and burdensome regulation. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition in the available record.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely to center on the scope and authority of the new Office of Government Efficiency, especially its power to label statutes and regulations as unreasonable, duplicative, or economically harmful and to recommend repeal or revision. Potential concerns may also arise over the requirement that agencies identify existing regulations for repeal when issuing new ones, the nonpartisan appointment structure for the office’s leadership, and whether the office could duplicate or interfere with existing regulatory review functions. Supporters would likely emphasize efficiency, transparency, and waste reduction, while critics may question the need for another oversight body and the practical effects on agency rulemaking.