#NeverNeeded regulations hindering hurricane recovery

It may be time to revive the #NeverNeeded campaign to assist the Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton recovery efforts. The idea behind #NeverNeeded is that if a regulation is hindering an emergency response, it was probably never needed in the first place.

Policymakers waived more than 800 never-needed regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The faster approval process the FDA used for COVID vaccines likely saved millions of lives all by itself. Other waived rules included permits and licenses that prevented small businesses from adapting to lockdown conditions and bans on telemedicine that prevented sick people from seeing their doctors.

These rollbacks of never-needed rules weren't enough to stem the larger tide of growing regulations. Many of the liberalizations were temporary, as with infant formula. But it was enough to make a positive difference in people's lives.

Rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton could use their own #NeverNeeded regulatory cleanups. Options include:

• Price gouging laws that create shortages of food, fuel, and other supplies when people need them most.
• Blocking private relief efforts. In one example, authorities threatened to arrest a man who used his helicopter to rescue stranded Helene survivors and drop off supplies in North Carolina. There will likely be similar stories after Milton.
• Subsidized flood insurance that encourages people to build in dangerous areas.
• The Jones Act, which is a Buy American maritime shipping law from 1920. Its rules make it more difficult to ship energy and other supplies to Florida, especially when roads are compromised.
• State-level occupational licensing laws that prevent contractors, construction workers, doctors, and lawyers from rebuilding houses, aiding survivors, and helping people with the hurricanes' legal fallout.

This is only the beginning. The Milton and Helene cleanups could take years. The best thing that policymakers can do right now is lift never-needed rules that prevent people from helping each other.

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