ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Senate voted 33-21 on Monday to pass a bill that would give legislators a veto over significant regulations imposed by the executive branch, a move that has hampered safety efforts and environmental protections in other states.
The bill is a priority of Lt. Gov Burt Jones, a Republican who is considering a run for governor in 2026. Jones on Monday again likened the bill to Elon Musk’s effort to cut federal government spending and regulation, called the Department of Government Efficiency. But some supporters have backed away from the DOGE branding as an outcry against Musk’s efforts has increased in recent weeks.
“This bill is in the spirit of DOGE but functionally it is very different,” said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming.
Democrats, eager to oppose what's happening in Washington, said they're alarmed that the use of that name could lead to layoffs and service cuts of the kind Musk is attempting, even though the bill focuses on limiting rules imposed by state agencies. Lawmakers often pass laws but leave it up to agencies to make rules implementing the laws.
“The real question today is are we going to allow cuts to the very programs that thousands of Georgians across our state rely upon in the names of rollbacks," said Senate Minority Whip Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat.
The measure moves to the House for more debate.
Although Republicans have controlled Georgia’s legislature and governor’s office for more than 20 years, supporters of Senate Bill 28 say lawmakers need to check rulemaking by the executive branch. Dolezal said the measure would give lawmakers “a seat at the table to ensure that the administrative state is not doing things that are unintended or that are making things onerous for our citizens.”
But opponents say the bill is infused with anti-government animus.
“One person’s red tape is another person’s due process," said Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat. "And when you take an axe to all regulations, irrespective of what’s in them, and you put political pressure on the agencies not to issue regulations that are in effect, you might be taking away some of your voters’ due process
A version of the bill calling for an analysis of the impact of new laws on small businesses passed the Senate in 2024 but did not become law. This year's version goes further, saying any rule that would have more than $1 million of economic impact over five years would be automatically halted until lawmakers approved it.
That $1 million ceiling works out to less than 2 cents per year for all 10.7 million Georgians over five years.
Similar measures restricting the enactment of expensive rules forced Kansas to abandon attempts to update its fire safety code last year. In Wisconsin, that state's law killed efforts to develop standards to limit PFAS chemicals in groundwater. Earlier in Wisconsin, the law also killed an effort to limit nitrate contamination in groundwater.
Bill Davis, senior legal analyst for the Rivers Alliance of Wisconsin, said his state's law, which applies when compliance spending is $10 million or more over two years, has made agencies “gun shy” about even proposing new rules. While government agencies have traditionally considered the costs and benefits of new rules, Davis said the law ignores projected benefits, forcing agencies to only consider their costs.
“It can really, really shut things thing down," Davis said in a phone interview Monday.
Although Georgia's measure would grab power from the executive branch, a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp declined to comment Monday.
Versions of the law passed in Florida and Kansas, motivated by Republican-majority legislatures that wanted to check Democratic governors. Wisconsin and Indiana passed versions of the bill despite Republicans controlling the legislature and governor's office.
The measure, called the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny, or REINS Act, in Congress and other states, is being pushed nationwide by Americans for Prosperity and other conservative groups.
Georgia legislators can already object to the enactment of legislation, but Dolezal's bill would allow a single legislator to hold up any rule with an impact under $1 million. It would also require agencies to review all existing rules every four years and allow public comment unless they cut their number of rules by 10% during that time. To keep existing rules, agencies would have to go through the new adoption process, meaning any rule with new or continuing compliance costs would be frozen awaiting legislative approval.
Georgia state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, speaks to reporters on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 at the state Capitol in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
Georgia state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, speaks to reporters on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 at the state Capitol in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
