This bill establishes the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit within the Nebraska Legislature to provide independent economic analysis and information to support legislative oversight. It defines terms such as "major rule or regulation" and "nonmajor rule or regulation," and outlines the responsibilities of the Chief Economist, who will be appointed by the Speaker of the Legislature. The unit is responsible for conducting regulatory impact analyses for major rules and regulations, as well as existing rules, and must provide reports to relevant legislative committees. Major rules cannot be submitted for publication until they have been ratified by the Legislature or have undergone a sixty-day review period. The bill also emphasizes transparency by requiring agencies to publish reports on proposed rules, including cost-benefit analyses.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the process for state agencies to request the adoption of emergency rules or regulations, mandating that any request to the Governor includes a written justification for the emergency rule. It introduces new requirements for the Governor's approval of major rules, including the need for a statement explaining the urgency of the emergency and compliance with relevant statutes. While agencies can utilize the emergency rule procedure, they cannot do so to avoid timely adoption of regulations. The rules adopted under this section are exempt from standard notice and hearing requirements and remain valid for ninety days upon the Governor's approval, with a possibility of renewal. The bill also repeals original sections 84-901 and 84-901.04 of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 84-901, 84-901.04