Oftentimes, new laws are only enacted for a few years. The idea is that at
the end of that period, legislators will evaluate the law’s success, make
adjustments, then reauthorize it – or not. Entire agencies are also subject to
sunset laws, and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), originally
authorized for six years, underwent its sunset process before the legislature
this past session and was re-authorized for another 12 years.
Commissioner Rick Perry says that while preparing for the Lege’s sunset
review, he got the idea to do an internal sunset of TDA’s own regulations. At
the end of May, Perry sent out a press release announcing that the agency would
sunset its rules; as of August 31, 1996, all the agency’s rules will be wiped
out, to be replaced with regulations revised between now and then.
Perry has asked all his department supervisors to go through their programs
and suggest changes with the following ideas in mind: intrusiveness,
simplicity, efficiency, and balance between competing TDA interests (i.e.,
public health concerns and business interests). The agency will hold public
hearings on those changes around the state, then Perry and deputy commissioner
Barry McBee will make the final decisions in time for the 1996 deadline.
“In the end, all these little, minor paperwork annoyances add up
in a big way to hinder business and stifle economic activity and
competetiveness,” Perry said in the May 31 press release. “And that’s why
unworkable regulations must be rooted out.” – A.B.
This article appears in June 30 • 1995 and June 30 • 1995 (Cover).