Assembly Bill 277 aims to amend existing statutes regarding the economic impact analysis of proposed administrative rules in Wisconsin. Currently, agencies must halt work on proposed rules expected to impose $10 million or more in costs over two years. The bill lowers this threshold to any expected implementation and compliance costs, requiring agencies to pause until they either modify the rule to eliminate costs, obtain legislative approval, or promulgate a different rule that offsets the costs. Additionally, the bill mandates that agencies include an estimate of total cost savings in their economic impact analyses, expressed as a single dollar figure.

The bill also introduces new provisions for how agencies assess and report costs and savings associated with proposed rules. It consolidates and renumbers existing legal language, while also creating new sections that clarify how cost estimates should be attributed to proposed rules, regardless of the discretion afforded to agencies. Furthermore, it specifies that if an independent economic impact analysis shows significant discrepancies from the agency's estimates, the agency may be assessed for the costs of the analysis. Overall, the bill seeks to enhance transparency and accountability in the rule-making process by ensuring that all potential costs and savings are thoroughly evaluated and reported.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 227.137(3)(c), 227.137, 227.137(4m)(b)2.a, 227.137(4m)(b)2.b, 227.137(4m)(c)1, 227.139(1), 227.139, 227.139(2)(b), 227.19(5)(b)3.a, 227.19, 227.19(5)(b)3.b