S-0538.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5392

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senator Hochstatter

Read first time 01/21/1999.  Referred to Committee on State & Local Government.

Expiring statutory rule-making authority after two years.

    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 new rules or amend previously adopted rules expires two years after the effective date of any statute that the agency cites as its authority for adopting the new or amended rule, or two years after the effective date of this act, whichever is later.

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