The proposed bill, if enacted, would amend current statutes related to agency rulemaking by introducing new requirements for legislative ratification of proposed rules that significantly increase regulatory costs. Specifically, it would require agencies to submit proposed rules estimated to increase costs by more than $100,000 to the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) for review. If the OEO confirms that the costs will exceed $500,000, the rule cannot take effect until the Legislature ratifies it. Additionally, the bill mandates that the OEO submit the proposed rule to the Administrative Rules Oversight Committee (AROC) at least 30 days before the next legislative session, and AROC must then present the rule to the Legislature as soon as practicable.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that agencies cannot file final rules with the Secretary of State without legislative approval and must terminate proposed rulemaking if the Legislature does not ratify the rule during the session. It allows citizens and regulated individuals to request OEO reviews of proposed rules and excludes emergency rules from these ratification requirements. The bill also empowers the Legislature to eliminate any agency rule costing taxpayers over $1,000,000 annually and requires OEO to assess the impact of rules on taxpayers, reporting findings within six months. Lastly, it includes a severability clause to ensure that if any provision is invalidated, the remaining provisions remain effective.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 41-1049, 41-1049.01
House Engrossed Version: 41-1049, 41-1049.01