The bill amends the State Rules Act to require state agencies to hold additional public comment periods when substantial changes are made to proposed rules. A "substantial change" is defined as any alteration that affects the meaning or effect of a regulatory provision within the rule. When such a change occurs, the agency must provide a twenty-one-day public comment period, during which individuals can submit their feedback in written or electronic formats. The agency is also required to publish a notice in the New Mexico register detailing the changes and the public comment process.

Additionally, the bill specifies the content that must be included in the notice of the additional public comment period, such as a summary of the changes, citations to technical information that informed the changes, and instructions on how to comment. It clarifies that a substantial change does not necessitate a new public rule hearing and mandates that the notice be published in the New Mexico register. Furthermore, while agencies may charge a reasonable fee for non-electronic records, they cannot charge for electronic records provided under this section.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 14-4-2