Ohio Senator Leads Charge to Cut Red Tape, Empower Businesses

Ohio Senator Leads Charge to Cut Red Tape, Empower Businesses 

Three years ago, Ohio State Senator Christina Roegner came across a startling report that changed the course of her legislative focus. A study by the Mercatus Center had ranked Ohio among the most heavily regulated states in the country, with more than 247,000 administrative rules on the books. “That was a wake-up call,” Roegner said. “We were right up there with California and New York, and that’s not a list we want to be on.” 

Roegner, a former mechanical engineer and Wharton-educated consultant, didn’t set out to be a lawmaker. But after watching her father take on wasteful spending as a city councilman in Hudson, Ohio, she decided to jump into public service herself. That decision has turned into a multi-decade effort to streamline government and make Ohio more business friendly. 

the Mercatus Center study helped inspire Senate Bill 9, legislation Roegner sponsored in 2022. The bill set an ambitious goal: cut 30% of Ohio’s administrative rules within three years. It required state agencies to remove two regulations for every new one added and launched a user-friendly website, CutRedTape.Ohio.gov , to let citizens report unnecessary or outdated rules. 

Roegner points to a now-defunct regulation as an example of how red tape can distort markets. One rule, dating back to before the Titanic, required around-the-clock supervision of large boilers. The result? Businesses would buy multiple smaller boilers, known as “Ohio specials,” just to dodge the rule. “It was archaic and costly. Technology has long made that requirement obsolete,” she said. 

According to Roegner, nearly half of Ohio’s agencies have already met their reduction targets, and officials expect to reach the full 30% goal by the end of the year. 

But the senator isn’t stopping there. She’s also pushing for expanded interstate licensure compacts to allow professionals like nurses, dentists, and therapists to work across state lines more freely. “Why should a nurse be required to jump through hoops just to work in a neighboring state?” Roegner asked. “It’s common sense.” 

With her practical, data-driven approach and growing support from both constituents and professional groups, Roegner is hopeful other states will follow Ohio’s lead. “Cutting red tape may not be flashy,” she said, “but it can absolutely transform lives and economies.”