Virginia leading on cutting red tape
The Virginia Mercury has a balanced look at Virginia’s successful effort to reach a 25% reduction in state-level regulatory requirements, and there moving ahead with more with cuts using artificial intelligence as a tool.
Back in May, I wrote about how AI can be a tool in our efforts to recommit to federalism and self-government.
From the Virginia Mercury:
In an executive order issued Friday, Youngkin announced Virginia will launch the nation’s first “agentic AI” pilot program designed to streamline state regulations and guidance documents. The initiative will scan thousands of pages of agency rules using generative AI to identify redundancies, contradictions and overly complex language — all in the name of efficiency.
This is a compelling example of how states can reclaim regulatory power, boost their economies, and cut back on the bureaucratic creep that burdens both businesses and families.
Gov. Youngkin is citing 270,000 new jobs, and 15,000 high-growth startups as just some of the economic advantages to the state’s efforts already. He also says construction costs of new homes is being reduced by 6% by streamlining building code rules.
“The ‘Virginia model’ for regulatory modernization has become the gold standard across the U.S., with other states and federal agencies looking to replicate our reforms,” said Reeve Bull, director of the Office of Regulatory Management.
— The Federalism Beat