Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB462 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version

                             
PRINTER'S NO. 426 
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL 
No.462 
Session of 
2025 
INTRODUCED BY PHILLIPS-HILL, LANGERHOLC, COLEMAN, J. WARD, 
MARTIN, PENNYCUICK, STEFANO, DUSH AND KEEFER, MARCH 19, 2025 
REFERRED TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS, MARCH 19, 2025 
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), entitled 
"An act providing for independent oversight and review of 
regulations, creating an Independent Regulatory Review 
Commission, providing for its powers and duties and making 
repeals," further providing for definitions and for existing 
regulations; and establishing the Office of Government 
Efficiency and providing for its power and duties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1.  Section 3 of the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, 
No.181), known as the Regulatory Review Act, is amended by 
adding definitions to read:
Section 3.  Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 
have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the 
meanings given to them in this section:
* * *
"Director."  The director of the office.
* * *
"Office."  The Office of Government Efficiency.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 * * *
"Selection committee."  The Selection and Organization 
Committee in the office.
* * *
Section 2.  Section 8.1 of the act is amended to read:
Section 8.1.  Existing regulations.
The commission, on its motion or at the request of any person 
or member of the General Assembly, may review any existing 
regulation which has been in effect for at least three years. If 
a committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives 
requests a review of an existing regulation, the commission 
shall perform the review and shall assign it high priority. The 
commission may submit recommendations to an agency recommending 
changes in existing regulations if it finds the existing 
regulations to be contrary to the public interest under the 
criteria established in section 5.2. The commission may also 
make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor 
for statutory changes if the commission finds that any existing 
regulation may be contrary to the public interest. Unless 
prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth, at the time an 
agency promulgates a new regulation, the agency shall identify 
at least two existing regulations for repeal.
Section 3.  The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 12.2.   	Office of Government Efficiency 	. 
(a)  The nonpartisan Office of Government Efficiency is 
established within the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
(b)  The office shall have the following powers and duties:
(1)  Adopt logical, quantitative and qualitative rules to 
determine whether an existing statute or regulation of the 
Commonwealth is:
20250SB0462PN0426 	- 2 - 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30 (i)  Unreasonable, unduly burdensome, detrimental to 
economic well-being, duplicative, onerous, defective or 
in conflict with another statute or regulation.
(ii)  Defying a common sense approach to government.
(2)  Perform a systematic review of existing statutes and 
regulations of this Commonwealth in accordance with the rules 
adopted for review under this act.
(3)  Identify existing statutes and regulations that may 
be appropriate for legislative and executive agency 
modification, revision or repeal.
(4)  Establish as soon as practical a system with a 
publicly accessible Internet website that allows the office 
to receive:
(i)  Suggestions and comments, along with supporting 
documentation, for modification, revision or repeal from 
citizens, businesses, government agencies or others.
(ii)  Reports on allegations of wasteful governmental 
practices.
(5)  Determine and implement internal policies, standards 
and procedures as may be necessary for the orderly and 
efficient execution of the mission of the office.
(6)  Implement a tracking system to follow all 
submissions and actions taken on a recommendation made by the 
director which includes progress of modification, revision or 
repeal.
(7)  By June 30 of each year, report to the General 
Assembly and the Governor on:
(i)  Recommended changes to statutes and regulations.
(ii)  Recommended changes to increase efficiency and 
eliminate wasteful practices.
20250SB0462PN0426 	- 3 - 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30 (iii)  Progress of the revision, repeal or abrogation 
of statutes and regulations.
(c)  The committee established in the office shall:
(1)  Consist of the following members:
(i)  One member appointed by the Governor.
(ii)  One member appointed by the President pro 
tempore of the Senate in consultation with the Majority 
Leader and the Minority Leader of the Senate.
(iii)  One member appointed by the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives in consultation with the 
Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the House of 
Representatives.
(2)  Within 30 days from the effective date of this 
section, select a director of the office in accordance with 
the following:
(i)  The committee shall provide and transmit the 
qualifications of the director to the Legislative 
Reference Bureau for publication in the next available 
issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin within 90 days of the 
first meeting of the committee.
(ii)  The appointment may not be made on the basis of 
political affiliation.
(iii)  The appointment shall be made on the basis of 
the fitness to perform the duties of the office based on 
the published qualifications.
(d)  The director shall appoint a deputy director who shall 
have the following duties:
(1)  Perform assigned duties from the director.
(2)  Assume the role of the director:
(i)  during an absence or incapacity of the director; 
20250SB0462PN0426 	- 4 - 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30 or
(ii)  if a vacancy occurs in the position of director 
until a successor director is appointed.
(e)  The director may be removed by a concurrent resolution 
passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
(f)  The director shall have the following powers and duties:
(1)  The authority to:
(i)  Determine and implement internal policies, 
standards and protocols to orderly and efficiently carry 
out the mission of the office under this section.
(ii)  Procure the temporary or intermittent service 
of attorneys, experts, consultants or organizations by 
contract.
(2)  Hire and fix compensation in accordance with the 
following:
(i)  The hiring and appointments shall be made on the 
basis of the duties of the office and the performance of 
the functions of the office.
(ii)  All personnel shall be hired or appointed 
without regard to political affiliation.
(iii)  Hiring and appointments shall be based on 
fitness to perform the necessary duties.
(g)  (1)  When the office determines that a statute or 
regulation meets the standards set under this section and as 
set by the director for modification, revision or repeal, the 
director shall recommend the action to:
(i)  The General Assembly if a statute needs to be 
modified, revised or repealed.
(ii)  The State department or agency that promulgated 
the regulation that needs to be modified, revised or 
20250SB0462PN0426 	- 5 - 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30 repealed.
(2)  A recommendation from the office shall provide 
specific details why the office is recommending that the 
statute or regulation needs to be modified, revised or 
repealed.
(h)  The office shall be a Commonwealth agency for the 
purposes of the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as 
the "Right-to-Know Law."
(i)  The office shall be abolished and cease to exist five 
years from the effective date of this section.
Section 4.  This act shall take effect immediately.
20250SB0462PN0426 	- 6 - 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11