Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order on Thursday to rescind more than 200 executive orders, almost all of which had been issued before he took office. He said this move would make the government more efficient.

From 2019 through Thursday, Polis has issued 586 executive orders, not including clemency orders, which are another form of executive order. The high watermark was 2020’s COVID-19 year, when he issued 316.

Only two of the 208 orders he canceled on Thursday were orders he issued — one from 2019 and another from 2020.

The 2019 order created the “Office of Future Work,” which is now codified in state statute and housed in the Department of Labor and Employment. It’s one of more than a dozen new state offices, one new cabinet-level department, and the addition of more than 4,000 state employees that took place in the first three years of his administration.

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According to a statement from the governor, the orders he rescinded were “unnecessary, outdated, wasteful, or obsolete, because they were no longer applicable, declarations for past emergencies, already codified by state law, created more government red tape or unnecessary processes, stifled innovation, and more.”

“This includes eliminating dormant or unnecessary committees and councils like the First Impressions Advisory Council, outdated declarations related to the state’s motor vehicle fleet, vanpooling for state employees, and energy efficiency in state government,” he said. 

The orders date back to 1920. Of the 208 orders, more than half were marked as obsolete.

Polis also rescinded executive orders that he said “drove inefficient government processes, including Protection of Families Policy and an Executive Order from 1957 regarding tax collection for the Colorado State Hospital, which features outdated language regarding mental health and behavioral health.”

Executive orders remain in force until rescinded or unless they have a specific expiration date.

State Senate Republicans called Thursday’s event, which featured Polis hacking through a pile of papers with a table saw, “political theater,” while House Republicans were more complimentary.

House Republicans said rescinding 208 executive orders “is a necessary and long-overdue step toward addressing inefficiencies in state government.”

“Although he has recognized that many of these orders were redundant, ineffective, or harmful, he has yet to fully address any positive impact on Coloradans’ wallets, businesses, and opportunities. After his six years in office, he has only created more red tape, and families and businesses continue to struggle,” House Republicans said.

House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs added, “It is about time the governor recognized that Colorado cannot thrive under the weight of excessive regulation and overspending.”

“This is a step in the right direction, but it falls short of undoing the damage caused by policies that have made it increasingly unaffordable for Coloradans to live in our state,” she said. 

Senate Republicans said that while they appreciated the “political theater,” the outcome is “a very small step in the right direction” and a “country mile” from comprehensive reform the state needs to counter overregulation of businesses and families.

Both caucuses pointed to Colorado’s reputation as one of the nation’s most highly-regulated states. The Colorado Chamber of Commerce estimated this week that, by year’s end, Colorado will move from 12th to sixth most regulated state in the country.