Author: James Broughel and Jacob Posik

This piece first appeared in the Portland Press Herald. During her recent inaugural address, Gov. Mills warned Maine residents that a recession could be on the horizon. While to some extent recessions are inevitable, the next economic slump could be entirely manmade. That’s because, according to a new analysis, regulatory requirements in the state are piling up by the tens of thousands. All this red tape could hit the state’s economy like a regulatory tsunami. To get a sense of the complexity of the Code of Maine Rules – Maine’s regulatory code – it would take an ordinary person about 450 hours, or…