Oklahoma recently passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act—a reform that will significantly reduce excessive regulations and improve government transparency.
The legislation requires state agencies to obtain approval from the Legislature if they want to implement a rule that costs more than $1 million over a five-year period. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a state think tank and affiliate member of SPN, played a significant role in advancing this reform for the Sooner State.
The REINS Act Restores Representative Government
Representative government is the foundation of America’s political system. We elect lawmakers to make the policy decisions and pass the laws that shape our lives. Unfortunately—at both the federal and state levels—government agencies and the people within them are increasingly advancing major policy decisions without the input of legislators—and therefore, without the diect input of the American people.
Too often, policies that affect Americans—from what children are taught in schools to how industries are regulated—are made in this anti-democratic way, bypassing voters entirely. The REINS Act addresses this problem by ensuring legislators—not unelected bureaucrats—have the final say on far-reaching policies.
Reducing the Costs of Excessive Regulation
In addition to bringing needed government accountability and transparency to state government, the REINS Act also helps reduce excessive regulation that often has significant costs for American families and businesses.
Jonathan Small, President of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, added:
“For too long, Oklahoma has been among the most heavily regulated states in the nation with 142,313 regulations on the books and more added every year. Only 16 states impose more regulations than Oklahoma does. The REINS Act puts the brakes on that process and guarantees that future regulations will be narrowly focused on legitimate public interests authorized by state law.”
REINS Act Spreads Across the States in 2025
The REINS Act is gaining momentum nationwide. Ten states—Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Louisiana—have already enacted it, and more are likely to take up the reform in future legislative sessions.
It’s another example of the states leading while the federal government stalls. Congress has introduced a federal REINS Act in every session since 2019, but it has yet to pass. As we often see, the states—closer to the American people and more responsive to their unique needs—are better equipped than Washington to advance policies that improve American lives and livelihoods.
Because the REINS Act is such significant reform, State Policy Network’s Center for Practical Federalism includes it as a key variable in its Federalism Scorecard—a tool that measures states’ ability to resist federal overreach and preserve self‑governance.
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Spreading the REINS Act Nationwide
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