Hochul orders statewide review of New York regulations and laws
Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered all New York state agencies to undertake a comprehensive review of thousands of state regulations and laws, beginning an initiative the governor’s office calls the “Regulatory Reset.”
The executive order was issued July 13, 2026. Its stated purpose is to improve the functioning and efficiency of state government through a methodical examination of the state’s existing regulatory and legal requirements.
Statewide scope
The directive applies across all state agencies, making the review a statewide executive-branch process rather than an action focused on a single department or policy field. The available announcement describes the assignment as a review of thousands of regulations and laws.
That scope means agencies throughout state government are included in the process. The order establishes a common administrative undertaking for agencies to examine the rules and laws within the state’s existing framework.
Hochul’s action is an executive-government directive affecting the operations of New York State agencies. The initiative’s stated goals are government functioning and efficiency, rather than a publicly identified set of changes in any one area of state policy.
What the order changes now
The immediate change is the start of an ongoing administrative review process. The order does not itself list regulations or laws that have been repealed, amended or otherwise changed.
That distinction is important because the “Regulatory Reset” is a review of current requirements, not an announcement that every rule under review has been altered. The available material does not identify particular regulations or laws selected for repeal or amendment.
The announcement also does not characterize the initiative as a completed overhaul of state rules. Its confirmed action is the direction to agencies to conduct a comprehensive and methodical review of the existing body of regulations and laws.
For people, businesses and organizations that interact with state agencies, the order signals that agency requirements may be examined through the new process. It does not, based on the available material, announce a specific newly effective rule change for them to follow.
What comes next
State agencies are now covered by the directive to review regulations and laws as part of the statewide initiative. Any specific outcome of that review would depend on what agencies identify and on subsequent action, which was not detailed in the available announcement.
No final deadline for completing the review was provided in the available material. The announcement also did not set out a timetable for agency recommendations or name particular regulations or laws that would be evaluated first.
For now, the confirmed development is the July 13 order launching the “Regulatory Reset” across all New York state agencies. The practical results of the initiative remain to be determined through the review process and any later actions that state agencies may announce.
Sources
- Governor Hochul issues executive order to commence New York’s Regulatory Reset, Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
- Election Information, New York State Board of Elections