Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T21:09:48.214Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Mini-Symposium on Regulation in the States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Charles Barrilleaux*
Affiliation:
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
*
Charles Barrilleaux, Florida State University, P.O. Box 323062230, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2230, USA. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The power and ability of state governments to impose regulations vary according to the state and national politics, policy problems, the nature and power of business and groups, and state institutional structures. Citizens regularly complain about the regulatory reach of the state but often demand state regulation of the environment, consumer safety, industry, insurance, health care, and professions. State elected officials likewise complain about the regulatory reach of the state and, in some cases, work diligently to remove regulations that are thought to hamper industries or that citizens find especially egregious. Sometimes there is disagreement over what constitutes desirable and undesirable regulations. For example, in 2010, the Florida legislature passed a seemingly simple law requiring septic systems to be inspected every 5 years. It was proposed by Republican members of the House and Senate and supported by the state peak homebuilders association, which is a strong interest in a state long dominated by the real estate industry. The then-presiding governor ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate and the incoming Republican governor won the election narrowly with strong rural conservative support. Some of the legislators who had initially signed the previously uncontroversial regulation heard complaints from their constituents regarding the possible cost of mandated repairs and the estimated $150–$200 price of inspections every 5 years. He refused to sign the law, arguing that septic tank regulation is a function best left to county governments. There is no mandatory septic system inspection in Florida, which environmental groups note is dangerous given the state's being situated on top of the Floridan aquifer that provides water for drinking, agriculture, and recreation for the state's citizens and is threatened by leaking septic systems.

Type
Introduction
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Boehmke, Frederick, and Shipan, Charles. 2015. “Oversight Capabilities in the States: Are Professionalized Legislatures Better at Getting What They Want?State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15:367–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, Belinda, and Bali, Valentina. 2014. “Shaping the Provision of Prison Services: Privatization, Accreditation, and Economic Downturns.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Garrett, Kristin, and Jansa, Joshua. 2015. “Networks and Interest Group Influence in the Diffusion of Innovation.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15:388418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goelzhauser, Greg. 2014. “Are Term Limits Good for Special Interests? Evidence from Capital Markets.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Haider-Markel, Donald, and Joslyn, Mark. 2014. “‘Nanny State’ Politics: Causal Attributions about Obesity and Support for Regulation.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Keiser, Lael. 2014. “Regulating State Bureaucrats: Does Participation in Professional Associations Make It More Difficult?” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Konisky, David, and Reenock, Christopher. 2014. “The Policy Geography of Regulatory Enforcement.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Smith, Daniel. 2014. “Partisanship or Electoral Politics? Casting and Verifying Provisional Ballots in Florida.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Terman, Jessica. 2014. “State Regulatory Ambitions in Energy Policy: Setting and Meeting Performance Goals.” Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Woods, Neal. 2015. “The Politics of Administrative Rule Review.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15:345–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yackee, Susan Webb. 2015. “The Hidden Politics of Regulation: Understanding Informal Policy Influence during State Administrative Lawmaking.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15:322–44.Google Scholar