I've done some thinking about the problem of regulation bloat (setting aside regulatory capture for now). Good regulation, like good code, would express ideals

I've done some thinking about the problem of regulation bloat (setting aside regulatory capture for now). Good regulation, like good code, would express ideals and objectives in the simplest way possible that can still implement the solution. But if we follow this analogy, our country's body of law and regulation is like a centuries-old codebase that has never been revised or refactored for the sake of consolidation and simplification. It only gets added to, and obviously can't be rebuilt from scratch. This means we have a monotonically-growing level of complexity for entities that want to adhere to the law, which is a recipe for grinding to a halt. I feel like the common argument by conservatives against regulation because it stifles innovation has some truth, but it doesn't have to. What would it look like, I wonder, to implement reforms that are purely concerned with simplifying the existing rules and stripping out cruft? Has anybody ever considered the problem from this angle?