Utah’s consolidated universal sandbox, formally called the Office of Regulatory Relief, has encountered over a dozen applicants with regulatory issues. Yet as the sandbox director testified during interim last year, at least thirteen sandbox applicants were turned instead to the applicable agency to expedite the regulatory process.
This year, Utah took notice of the benefit of this unintended role and formalized this role. Now, thanks to the passage of HB 282, sponsored by Representative Cory Maloy, the sandbox will actively be on the lookout for laws and regulations that are outdated or unnecessarily interfere with industry improvements. Those laws and regulations will then be reported to the legislature for consideration, including recommendations for updates.
Utah’s universal sandbox is continually pushing the boundaries of what a state can achieve with proactive regulatory programs. What’s next under this newly minted component of the sandbox will be sure to surprise and inspire other states to follow suit in the coming years.
Senior Policy Analyst
Caden is the Technology and Innovation Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He previously worked at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University as well as TechFreedom while earning his JD from American University Washington College of Law.