At the close of 2012, many feared the United States would fall off the so-called “fiscal cliff” — the combination of scheduled tax increases, deep mandated across-the-board federal budget cuts (known as “sequestration”), and expiration of numerous tax provisions which, if occurring at once, could have caused another recession.

In March 2012, Massachusetts launched a first-in-the-nation effort to systematically reform our public rule-making process and the way our state views government regulation and its impact on our economy.