S-0146.6  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5709

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Senators Hochstatter, Morton, Schow, Swecker, Oke, Owen, Wood, Haugen, Long, Winsley, Strannigan, Johnson, McDonald, Cantu, Palmer, Finkbeiner, Moyer, Sellar, A. Anderson, West, Deccio and Rasmussen

Read first time 02/01/95.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Restricting the duration of the statutory authority of agencies to adopt rules.

    AN ACT Relating to administrative rule making; adding a new section to chapter 34.05 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that:

    (1) The regulated community is composed largely of people who try to comply with the rules they are aware of, but who are often frustrated by the complexity of the regulatory system.

    (2) Agencies use old laws to adopt new rules without returning to the legislature for authorization.

    It is the intent of the legislature to correct this problem by requiring agencies to return to the legislature after two years for authorization to adopt new rules.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 34.05 RCW to read as follows:

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, an agency's statutory authority to adopt rules expires two years after the effective date of the statute or two years after the effective date of this act, whichever is later.  Thereafter the agency may adopt rules only if the agency's rule-making authority has been reauthorized by law.

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