Governor Doug Ducey's staff is researching dozens of citizen suggestions to eliminate unnecessary state regulations, especially if they hamper local businesses.
Michael Morrison, CEO of LionHeart Security Services, weighed in on a citizen regulation rollback website created by the governor last month.
"I see this new dawn where government looks like they're trying to be more responsive to people which I think is great," Morrison said.
Morrison says he understands the need for strict state regulation on his industry because it involves guys with guns, but he says one rule goes overboard. Armed private security guards must apply for and pay for a separate state license for every company which employs them.
"They're only going to work 10 or 20 hours a month for us on special details, then I have to go back to the state, pay a fee and get another license with my company's name on it," Morrison said.
Morrison says making guards apply for 2, 3, or 4 versions of the same state license is a waste of time and money for everyone involved.
"My attitude is - that guard paid for the training, that guard paid for the processing, the fingerprinting," Morrison said. "It's his or her ID license, so why shouldn't they be able to use that anywhere and for any security company?"
Gov. Ducey is making "regulation rollback" a priority. He hopes to wipe out hundreds of unnecessary or burdensome rules in 2017 alone.
"He [Ducey] wants to make sure that Arizona is the best state in the nation to do business and that means we need to have as low of regulations as possible, while still protecting public health and safety,” said Christina Corieri, Ducey's senior policy advisor.
ABC15 made a public records request to obtain copies of dozens of rollback recommendations submitted by citizens. Some were complex, involving air and water quality rules. Others more digestible including reviewing rules to establish wineries and simplifying food truck taxes.
"None of them are easy fixes that you can do today," Corieri said. "You actually have to go through hearings, so there have been ones we've been looking at that we intend to move on, but it takes a couple of months."
