OKLAHOMA CITY (February 20, 2025)— Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small issued the following statement after members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved House Bill 2728, which creates the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025.

“Despite the strong conservative leanings of Oklahoma voters, our state has become one of the most heavily regulated in the country because of a flawed process that allows state agency bureaucrats to impose numerous regulations that have the same basic impact as new state laws,” Small said. “HB 2728 will protect Oklahomans from an out-of-control bureaucracy by requiring proactive approval from the Legislature for all major regulations to take effect. Those leading the charge in this fight – state Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, state Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton – deserve praise for tackling this crucial issue.”

House Bill 2728, by Kendrix, would create a Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the existing Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to independently review and assess the economic impact of major rules proposed by state agencies.

The legislation defines “major rule” to include any agency rule with an economic impact of $1 million or greater over a five-year period.

Under HB 2728, a major rule with an impact of $1 million or more cannot take effect unless it is explicitly approved by both chambers of the Legislature.

That’s in stark contrast to current law, which allows state agency rules to automatically take effect unless specifically rejected by the Legislature or governor.

According to the 2024 edition of “Snapshots of State Regulations,” issued by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Oklahoma is the 17th-most regulated state in the country with 142,313 regulations on the books. In comparison, Idaho, the nation’s least-regulated state, has just 31,497 regulations in place.

House Bill 2728 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a bipartisan 86-3 vote.