NO "Regulatory Sandbox" in MO. Corporations Must Play by the Rules!

I urge you to oppose SB825 (Hoskins), S894 (Fitzwater), and HB1960 (Riley), "The Regulatory Sandbox Act", which would allow a new executive agency, the Regulatory Relief Office in the Department of Economic Development, to waive or suspend state laws and regulations for participating businesses during a demonstration period of at least two years subject to one-year extensions for up to seven years total. These exemptions are granted for the vaguely defined reason of helping a business to provide an "innovative product" or "innovative offering". There is no problem with innovation itself. However, innovation becomes dangerous when done at the cost of Missourians. Our laws are put in place to protect the health and well being of Missourians. To sidestep laws is to put our health at risk. Legislators should not put the health of their people at risk for corporations' profit. The laws and regulations of Missouri should be enforced impartially and equally for all companies in the state. These bills give advantages to certain companies to be favored for the program. For example, companies with competitors in the program are more likely to be accepted. However, competitor is an undefined term. This could open the door for companies with bad intentions to be let into the program. In general, there should not be a way for some companies to play by different rules than other companies. This is unfair for businesses trying to survive in our economy.