EXECUTIVE ORDER 2023-003
Order Freezing the Issuance of New Regulations and Requiring a Review of Existing Regulations by All Executive Branch Agencies, Departments, Boards and Commissions
WHEREAS, state regulations should protect workers, consumers and the environment, while promoting entrepreneurship and economic growth; and
WHEREAS, state regulations can become outdated, result in unintended consequences, create conflicts or impose an unnecessary burden on citizens, businesses or government entities; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the state of Nevada that its regulatory environment be concise, transparent, stable, balanced, predictable and thoughtfully constructed; and
WHEREAS, Nevada’s current regulatory structure is too often unfocused and inefficient, contains regulations that are obsolete and includes regulations that are unnecessarily onerous, thereby limiting the economic potential of the State; and
WHEREAS, Article 5, Section 1 of the Nevada Constitution provides that, “The Supreme Executive Power of this State shall be vested in a Chief Magistrate who shall be Governor of the State of Nevada;
NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and laws of the State of Nevada, it is hereby ordered as follows:
SECTION 1
Every executive branch department, agency, board and commission shall undertake a comprehensive review of the regulations subject to its enforcement. On or before, May 1, 2023 each department, agency, board and commission shall provide a report to the Governor’s office detailing how the regulation subject to its enforcement can be streamlined, clarified, reduced or otherwise improved to ensure those regulations provide for the general welfare of the State without unnecessarily inhibiting economic growth.
SECTION 2:
As part of its report, every executive branch department, agency, board and commission shall provide a list of not less than ten (10) regulations recommended for removal, ranking them in descending order of priority.
SECTION 3:
Prior to submitting their respective reports, every executive branch department, agency, board and commission shall hold a public hearing, after having provided reasonable notice consistent with Chapter 233B of the Nevada Revised Statutes, to key industry stakeholders, to: (i) vet their recommended changes; (ii) solicit input as to the merits of those changes and (iii) identify other regulatory changes stakeholders feel are worthy of consideration. Stakeholder input shall be reflected in the summary of findings and recommendations included in each submitted report.
SECTION 4:
Unless specifically exempt from this Executive Order as set forth in Section 5, no new regulations shall be proposed, approved or acted on by any executive branch agency, department, board or commission until such time as this Executive Order is rescinded.
SECTION 5:
The following regulations are not subject to the suspension set forth in Section 4:
(a) Regulations that affect public health;
(b) Regulations that affect public safety and security;
(c) Regulations that are necessary in the pursuit of federal funds and certifications;
(d) Regulations that affect the application of powers, functions and duties essential to the operation of the executive branch agency, department, board or commission at issue;
(e) Regulations that affect pending judicial deadlines; and
(f) Regulations necessary to comply with federal law.
Until the suspension of this Executive Order, each executive branch department, agency, board and commission that intends to continue with the enactment of a proposed regulation under an exception to the freeze set forth in Section 4 shall submit a report to the Governor’s office identifying which exemption the proposed regulation falls within and detailing the problem the regulation addresses or the value to the public of the regulation, how the regulation addresses the problem or the benefits provided by the regulation, why alternate forms of regulation are insufficient to address the problem and whether other regulations currently address the problem.