Wyoming is entering its third phase of government consolidation. Governor Matt Mead has asked agencies, boards and commissions to streamline rules. This follows the merger of the Department of Workforce Services and Department of Employment in 2011 and consolidation of technology services in 2012.
The goal of the Governor’s rules project is to reduce rules both in number and length by 1/3. This benchmark recognizes some agencies, boards and commissions will not be able to achieve that goal, while others may surpass it.
The Legislature, Secretary of State’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office are all actively working on this streamlined rules project with the Governor’s Office. A number of states have taken on similar regulatory review processes in order to make rules easier for both agencies and individuals to comply with. The trend emerged as manage agencies began looking for ways to cut costs and consolidate operations, new technologies like cloud services have also been helpful in removing outmoded processes.
“Some state agencies have already reduced the number of rules they have on the books this year,” Governor Mead said. “Others have proposed reductions or will soon. I believe fewer and more transparent rules make for better government, and I appreciate the hard work that has gone into this project. This is the beginning phase, and we expect more to come from it.”
