(1)(a) In the adoption of a rule under chapter
34.05 RCW, an agency shall prepare a small business economic impact statement: (i) If the proposed rule will impose more than minor costs on businesses in an industry; or (ii) if requested to do so by a majority vote of the joint administrative rules review committee within forty-five days of receiving the notice of proposed rule making under RCW
34.05.320. However, if the agency has completed the pilot rule process as defined by RCW
34.05.313 before filing the notice of a proposed rule, the agency is not required to prepare a small business economic impact statement.
(b) An agency must prepare the small business economic impact statement in accordance with RCW
19.85.040, and file it with the code reviser along with the notice required under RCW
34.05.320. An agency shall file a statement prepared at the request of the joint administrative rules review committee with the code reviser upon its completion before the adoption of the rule. An agency must provide a copy of the small business economic impact statement to any person requesting it.
(2) Based upon the extent of disproportionate impact on small business identified in the statement prepared under RCW
19.85.040, the agency shall, where legal and feasible in meeting the stated objectives of the statutes upon which the rule is based, reduce the costs imposed by the rule on small businesses. The agency must consider, without limitation, each of the following methods of reducing the impact of the proposed rule on small businesses:
(a) Reducing, modifying, or eliminating substantive regulatory requirements;
(b) Simplifying, reducing, or eliminating recordkeeping and reporting requirements;
(c) Reducing the frequency of inspections;
(d) Delaying compliance timetables;
(e) Reducing or modifying fine schedules for noncompliance; or
(f) Any other mitigation techniques including those suggested by small businesses or small business advocates.
(3) If a proposed rule affects only small businesses, the proposing agency must consider all mitigation options defined in this chapter.
(4) In the absence of sufficient data to calculate disproportionate impacts, an agency whose rule imposes more than minor costs must mitigate the costs to small businesses, where legal and feasible, as defined in this chapter.
(5) If the agency determines it cannot reduce the costs imposed by the rule on small businesses, the agency must provide a clear explanation of why it has made that determination and include that statement with its filing of the proposed rule pursuant to RCW
34.05.320.
(6)(a) All small business economic impact statements are subject to selective review by the joint administrative rules review committee pursuant to RCW
34.05.630.
(b) Any person affected by a proposed rule where there is a small business economic impact statement may petition the joint administrative rules review committee for review pursuant to the procedure in RCW
34.05.655.