Regulatory Reform in the States : Lessons from New Jersey

While numerous examinations of the rule-making process have occurred at the federal level, there are fewer studies about the effects of the proceduralization of the rule-making process on state regulations. Our examination focuses on regulations promulgated in New Jersey, both before and after major procedural changes enacted in the state in 2001. We collected data on 1,707 regulations on a wide array of variables from the type of rule-making, rule length, degree of public comment and agency response to comments. We also examined aggregate data on all final rules issued from 1998 to 2007. On the whole, we found that agencies are largely immune to the procedural requirements of the state's regulatory process. Agencies march on, writing regulations regardless of their political or procedural environment