BILL REQ. #:  S-0463.1 

Read first time 01/20/2003.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to rule-making procedures; and amending RCW 34.05.320.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 34.05.320 and 1995 c 403 s 302 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) At least twenty days before the rule-making hearing at which the agency receives public comment regarding adoption of a rule, the agency shall cause notice of the hearing to be published in the state register. The publication constitutes the proposal of a rule. The notice shall include all of the following:
     (a) A title, a description of the rule's purpose, and any other information which may be of assistance in identifying the rule or its purpose;
     (b) Citations of the statutory authority for adopting the rule and the specific statute the rule is intended to implement;
     (c) A summary of the rule and a statement of the reasons supporting the proposed action;
     (d) The agency personnel, with their office location and telephone number, who are responsible for the drafting, implementation, and enforcement of the rule;
     (e) The name of the person or organization, whether private, public, or governmental, proposing the rule;
     (f) Agency comments or recommendations, if any, regarding statutory language, implementation, enforcement, and fiscal matters pertaining to the rule;
     (g) Whether the rule is necessary as the result of federal law or federal or state court action, and if so, a copy of such law or court decision shall be attached to the purpose statement;
     (h) When, where, and how persons may present their views on the proposed rule;
     (i) The date on which the agency intends to adopt the rule;
     (j) A short explanation of the rule, its purpose, and anticipated effects, including in the case of a proposal that would modify existing rules, a short description of the changes the proposal would make;
     (k) A copy of the small business economic impact statement prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW, or an explanation for why the agency did not prepare the statement; and
     (l) A statement indicating whether RCW 34.05.328 applies to the rule adoption, and if that section is applicable, a statement that describes the methodology to be used to determine the probable benefits and probable costs of the rule, or that a preliminary analysis of the probable benefits and probable costs of the rule is available upon request.
     (2) Upon filing notice of the proposed rule with the code reviser, the adopting agency shall have copies of the notice on file and available for public inspection and shall forward three copies of the notice to the rules review committee.
     (3) No later than three days after its publication in the state register, the agency shall cause a copy of the notice of proposed rule adoption to be mailed to each person, city, and county that has made a request to the agency for a mailed copy of such notices. An agency may charge for the actual cost of providing a requesting party mailed copies of these notices.
     (4) In addition to the notice required by subsections (1) and (2) of this section, an institution of higher education shall cause the notice to be published in the campus or standard newspaper of the institution at least seven days before the rule-making hearing.