The Michigan House Rules Committee Red Tape Reduction Initiative will pursue reform in three areas. Health care licensing red tape is a major section of the House initiative::
1. Implementing the best of LARA’s recommendations to streamline the state’s licensing
process while cutting out unnecessary barriers. Roughly 75% of the Department’s
recommendations are good policy and reduce red tape. Those are the recommendations
the Rules Committee will pursue. Some recommendations were not included due to
differences in policy preference, stakeholder feedback, and recommendations that
created additional red tape.
2. Review and adjust Michigan’s licensing regime to get the government out of the way of
pursuing a licensed profession in Michigan.
3. Implement meaningful reforms of Michigan’s regulatory and permitting system to make
Michigan a top state to start a business, a family, and a career.
This initiative follows a February 2025 LARA report which made some fairly innocuous recommendations to cut red tape:
https://dtj5wlj7ond0z.cloudfront.net/uploads/2025/06/Rules-Committee-Report-final.pdf
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/-/media/Project/Websites/lara/about/LARA_CuttingRedTapeReport-1.pdf
https://www.wlns.com/capital-rundown/michigan-house-republicans-propose-ways-to-cut-red-tape/
Michigan House republicans propose ways to cut red tape
By Duncan Phenix - June 12, 2025LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan House republicans are releasing a report they say shows how to confront “the problem of excessive state regulations, which create barriers and increase costs for skilled workers, small businesses, health care providers, and homebuilders.”
In a news release, they claim, “There is bipartisan agreement that Michigan should cut this unnecessary red tape. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for streamlining licensing and permitting during her State of the State Address in February.”
On Thursday, a group of republican lawmakers with the House Rules Committee is releasing their Red Tape Reduction Initiative to “lay out a plan for restoring common sense to Michigan`s state government.”
Agreed, LARA's list is pretty limited. The concept, however, is a lifesaver.
Even after 7 years of green agenda running Michigan, healthcare is still a top contender for sheer numbers of regulations. It attracts regulators from five state departments: MDHHS, LARA, LEO, DIFS, and LEAP.
Mackinac Center reports the Red Tape Committee's early results.
Michigan wraps workers in 16,176 administrative rules
Mackinac Center scrapes government data so you don’t have to
By Scott McClallen | June 24, 2025
Michigan has about 16,176 administrative rules, according to data the Mackinac Center for Public Policy scraped from government websites.
The number of active rules changes often. Here’s one example: “R 408.10031 Machine installations. Rule 31. (1) A machine installed on a bench, table, or stand shall be designed or secured to prevent unintentional movement or tipping.(2) A stationary machine shall be anchored or provided with anti-slip pads to prevent unintentional movement.”
Executive branch departments add or remove rules, with the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules overseeing the process.
Rep. Bill G. Schuette, who chairs the House Rules Committee, released a report proposing 80 changes to state permitting and licensing.
“Michigan is being held back by red tape put in place by our own state government,” it read. “From housing to the skilled trades, to factory floors, to mom-and-pop shops, state agencies stand in the way of new construction, new businesses, and new jobs. The Rules Committee Red Tape Reduction Initiative will force the state government to step back and let Michiganders go to work.”
Proposed changes include reducing certain requirements to become an accountant, cutting continuing education requirements for physicians and eliminating redundant exams.
The Michigan Administrative Code contains the following rules, divided by department:
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: 4,094
Labor and Economic Opportunity: 3,138
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy: 2,279
Natural resources: 1,165
Health and Human Services: 1,363
Treasury: 1,346
Agriculture and Rural Development: 525
Insurance and Financial Services: 388
Education: 336
State: 328
State Police: 322
Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential: 305
Transportation: 224
Attorney General: 113
Technology, Management, and Budget: 93
Military and Veteran Affairs: 75
Corrections: 74
Civil Rights: 43
More ideas worth watching from Mackinac Center's recent symposium.
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