Buggy whip regulation

Legislators would periodically review old laws under a bill in the House.

The bill would create a new commission, overseen by 16 lawmakers, to look over older statutes to see if they are still effective and necessary.

Sen. Dan Clodfelter said the goal was to eliminate the kind of "buggy whip regulation" that has outlived its usefulness. He pointed to the elimination of the state boxing commission a few years ago as an example of the work it would do.

"This is not a financial audit of the programs," he said. "This is more focused on: Is this program still necessary?"

The Charlotte Democrat said that North Carolina is one of only four states without an internal review. Legislators created a performance review commission in the early 1990s, but it was a one-time study.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month and was tentatively approved by the House Tuesday, also unanimously.