Regulatory Reforms
Oct. 6, 2006
Attorney General Bob McDonnell wants to help out agriculture, small businesses, and healthcare to allow them to thrive.
A representative from the agriculture business says it's time to make some changes. Times have changed for farmers like Sonny Meyerhoeffer. Instead of working the fields he says he is spending more time bookkeeping and keeping up with regulations.
"This is for conservation, and this notebook is for nutrient management plan over here and how does all that merry together with what they say you can and cannot plan, of which 10 years ago, we didn't have any of this, and today it's what we live by," says Sonny Meyerhoheffer, the President of Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperation.
That's why Attorney General Bob McDonnell wants to walk through the pages of regulations that affect farmers and get rid of the ones that are burdensome.
"We're going to look for everyone of those that we can do smarter, that we can eliminate, that the states seek maybe relief from the general assembly or the federal government and putting mandates on farmers that require new regulations," says McDonnell.
While the state government will try to get rid of extra costs, the agriculture business may become a more attractive business for people to get in.
"It might encourage other people to join in to help farming, and the farming community and to keep that life out here as well as it would probably make it a little more profitable for them and encourage the young people to want to do it also and keep the green space out here that we all like to enjoy," says Meyerhoeffer.
Since agriculture is Virginia's biggest industry, McDonnell says he felt compelled to help. The task force will go through the state code page-by-page for the next three years to try to squeeze regulations on businesses.