Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
State Government & Tribal Relations Committee
SSB 5835
Brief Description: Concerning transparency in rule making.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on State Government & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Wilson, L., Dozier, Gildon, Mullet and Wilson, J.).
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill
  • Requires a state agency's rulemaking website to include a summary, of 100 words or less and written in plain language, of each rule that has been proposed or adopted by the agency within the past 12 months.
Hearing Date: 2/16/24
Staff: Desiree Omli (786-7105).
Background:

The Administrative Procedures Act (APA) requires agencies to follow certain procedural requirements when proposing and adopting rules of general applicability regarding licensing, regulations, and other qualifying agency actions.  The rule-making requirements apply to any state department, board, commission, or officer with rule-making authority.  The legislative and judicial branches, the Governor, and the Attorney General are exempt from the APA requirements. 


Rules must be filed with the Office of the Code Reviser and published in the Washington State Register.  If resources permit, state agencies must maintain a website that contains the agency's rulemaking information including the complete text of all rules proposed or adopted by that agency within the past 12 months. 
Summary of Bill:

A state agency's rulemaking website must include a summary of each rule that has been proposed or adopted by the agency within the past 12 months.  The summary must be 100 words or less and written in plain language.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.