Struzzi Backs Key Bill to Make Government More Efficient

September 30, 2021

HARRISBURG – State Rep. Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana) joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle Wednesday in sending to Gov. Tom Wolf a piece of legislation that would reduce the scope of state government and make it more effective.

“Pennsylvania has the reputation of being a state where attempts at progress are too often compromised by ‘red tape’ and overregulation,” Struzzi said. “Today, the General Assembly advanced House Bill 1861, which will hopefully be the start of a continued effort to make government more efficient for our citizens.” 

In June, the suspension of a number of regulatory programs and practices that were put on hold during COVID-19 were extended until Sept. 30 so they could be evaluated for their overall effectiveness. House Bill 1861, which passed with bipartisan support, would keep those suspensions in place until March 31, 2022 so they can be further examined and possibly eliminated. 

“The waivers to regulations that we’re evaluating and keeping in place until March impact access to telehealth and allow doctors who are in good standing and have inactive or expired Pennsylvania licenses to return to practice, thereby increasing access to healthcare,” added Struzzi. “They permit remote work capabilities that speed up the licensing process and provide some regulatory flexibility in narcotic treatment programs. These are important issues where government needs to find a way to get out of its own way and better benefit the people it is supposed to serve.

“One thing the pandemic has done is force us to look at ways we can and need to do things better,” continued Struzzi. “Government has long been one of those entities that tends to fall back on past practices and doing things as they’ve always been done. House Bill 1861 gives us time to put some of these regulations to the test and see if they should be maintained or eliminated.”  

Questions about this or any legislative issue should be directed to Struzzi’s district office at 1-724-465-0220.