| VETO MESSAGE ON ESHB 2876 |
| March 25, 2010 |
| To the Honorable Speaker and Members, |
| The House of Representatives of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning herewith, without my approval as to Section 8, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2876 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to pain management." |
| The bill generally requires state health care boards and commissions to adopt rules, including dosage standards, on chronic, noncancer pain management. Section 8, however, requires that before final adoption, these rules be submitted to the Legislature. |
| Members of the Legislature may review agency rules, proposed or final, and their perspectives are valuable. However, requiring proposed rules to be submitted to the Legislature would infringe upon the role of the executive branch and would blur the distinction between the Legislature and a state agency with regard to the rulemaking process. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 8 of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2876. |
| With the exception of Section 8, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2876 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine Gregoire |
| Governor |