CARTERSVILLE, Georgia — It’s a Thursday evening, and the regulars start filing in through the door. They exchange pleasantries and catch up on what’s new since they last connected.
Nothing about it seems out of the ordinary, except that this isn’t the local watering hole. It’s a meeting of locals who want to lessen the burden of government regulations.
It seems like a heady topic for a school night, but this group knows that to see change, it’ll take some late nights and pounding the pavement to see success. That’s why they converged at downtown Cartersville’s Americans for Prosperity-Georgia (AFP-GA) office.
When Americans, then colonists, wanted change in the 18th century, it was the taverns where they met. After all, the best ideas usually emerge after a pint or two.
There are no suds this evening, only an acknowledgment that the government’s rules don’t always benefit the taxpayers or the businesses they ostensibly serve. Too often, unelected bureaucrats create regulations without thinking — or caring — about how they’ll affect those who must abide by them.
The other problem is that they aren’t elected or accountable, and elected officials don’t always do their best to oversee what the bureaucracy — or “deep state,” as some might call it — is doing and whether it aligns with lawmakers’ vision.
In short, too many regulations can choke businesses, particularly smaller businesses. The idea is simple: Let the people decide.
“One size fits all never works,” said Jeff Thompson, grassroots engagement director for AFP-GA.
Peach State politicos have, at least on paper, supported reducing the scope of government mandates. However, small business leaders and groups like AFP-GA say more work can be done.
This year, Senate Bill 28, the Red Tape Rollback, is a REINS-like measure legislators, starting with the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee, will soon consider.
“We’re glad there’s energy at the capitol to give back power to you, the taxpayers,” said Shane McGonigal, grassroots engagement director for AFP-GA.
The push isn’t limited to Georgia. Officials in other states are backing REINS measures.
AFP-GA leaders point to their success in recent years, mainly lessening regulations around food trucks. Thanks to House Bill 1443 in 2022, food truck owners no longer need to secure a permit from every county where they operate.
They also point to Florida, which passed the REINS Act in 2010.
Before passing the measure, Florida lawmakers, on average, passed 2,553 regulations per year. That number dropped to an average of 2,106 per year from 2011 to 2018 under former Republican Gov. Rick Scott and 1,504 per year from 2019 to 2021 under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Motorists take advantage of a July 2024 promotion sponsored by Americans for Prosperity-Georgia. As part of the promotion, the group lowered gas prices at a Chevron in Dunwoody temporarily to $2.389 per gallon of regular unleaded gas, which the group said was the national average price per gallon in January 2021. (Photo by Todd DeFeo/The DeFeo Groupe)
