To require the governor's signature before adopting any significant legislative rules.   Official Text and Analysis.

By Representative Grant and Representative Holmquist. They testified that agencies and the Legislature often disagree on the correct interpretation or implementation of laws. The bill provides accountability for those important rules that make significant changes. This bill was a recommendation of the Governor's Competitiveness Council and is an important regulatory reform issue. The bill will allow the Governor to be fully aware and accountable for the actions of the agencies under his control.

By Loren Michael Freeman; and Carol Jolly, Office of the Governor. They testified that rules that qualify as significant legislative rules are possibly 80 percent of all rules adopted. Agency directors already have to sign many rules. Customer-based performance issues should be addressed by agencies, not the rulemaking process itself. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee is a good vehicle to raise questionable rules, if that committee were more active. Although the intent of the bill is to make the Governor aware of all the issues and processes involved in rulemaking, the result would be a substantial delay in the effective dates of rules, which is not in the public's interest. The bill creates red tape and inefficiency. The APA already has a method for citizens to petition the Governor if concerned about a rule. Cabinet directors are making the Governor aware of rules of significant policy. There were 103 significant legislative rules adopted last year. The Governor has vetoed the bill twice before. Members of the public and the Legislature want the rulemaking process to be improved. The transition from the Office of Permit Assistance to the Office of Regulatory Assistance is a step in the right direction to improving rulemaking and the regulatory process. The rulemaking process has been prolonged by legislation passed the previous eight years. It is not the rulemaking process that upsets people but the substance of the rule so changing the process will not solve that problem.

Requiring the governor's signature before adopting any significant legislative rules.

Governor Locke stated that the bill's mandate requiring the governor to sign all new agency rules (75 to 100 per year) would delay new rules and do so at additional cost while adding no value.