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 "major rule or regulation" as those likely to have significant economic impacts or adverse effects on competition and employment. The Chief Economist, appointed by the Speaker of the Legislature, will lead the unit, which is responsible for conducting regulatory impact analyses, assessing existing regulations, and evaluating significant external grants. The bill also sets procedural requirements for agencies submitting rules, including public notice and detailed economic impact reports, and mandates that major rules cannot be published without legislative approval or after a specified period unless certain conditions are met.

Additionally, the bill amends the process for agencies to request emergency rules or regulations, requiring a written justification for the necessity of such rules, particularly in cases of imminent peril to public health or unforeseen loss of federal funding. It stipulates that the Governor can only approve a major rule by publishing a statement explaining the urgency and compliance with emergency powers statutes. While agencies can use the emergency rule procedure, they cannot bypass timely rule adoption. The bill exempts these emergency rules from certain notice and hearing requirements, allowing them to take effect for ninety days upon the Governor's approval, with a possibility of renewal, and mandates that agencies publish these rules on their websites. It also repeals previous sections of the law that are now superseded by these changes.

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