Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, following up on what she said during her State of the State address Tuesday night, issued an executive order aimed at reducing the regulations citizens and businesses must navigate in dealing with state government.

The governor issued a moratorium on new rules and regulations. She ordered state agencies to come up with a plan to reduce their regulations, with the goal of cutting them by 25 percent.

“Sometimes, the best thing government can do is just get out of the way and allow the people to handle their business,” Ivey said in a news release. “In many cases, government regulations that were necessary a decade ago have outlived their usefulness, and it’s time for that to change. This order directs state executive branch agencies to find where they can better serve our people, and I look forward to seeing its impact result in positive changes soon.”

Ivey’s order sets out a schedule for agencies to reduce their regulations. Phase one calls for agencies to provide an inventory of their administrative rules to the governor’s office by September 2023. Phase two directs agencies to develop a written plan to reduce and tighten their regulations. That must be completed by March 2024. Phase three calls for implementation of the regulation reduction plan. That must be done between March 2024 and March 2025. Every agency must designate an employee as their red tape reduction coordinator.

The governor’s State of the State address came on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session. The governor had previously mentioned the goal of reducing government red tape during her inaugural address in January.