2004 House Bill 5670 ↩

Senate Roll Call 852: Passed

To change from 21 calendar days to 15 legislative session days the amount of time that the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) has to object to new administrative rules proposed by executive branch agencies and departments. Under current law, if JCAR votes to object to a rule, it causes bills to be placed on the House and Senate legislative calendars to either postpone implementation of the rule for one year, rescind it, or repeal the law authorizing the rule. One of these bills must be passed by both Houses of the legislature within 21 calendar days, and not vetoed by the governor, or the rule goes into effect anyway. The bill would also change this latter period from 21 calendar days to 15 legislative session days. The bill also makes other technical changes to the rulemaking and approval process. This bill was the result of an agreement between legislative Republicans and Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Senate Bill 252, which imposes new groundwater discharge fees on business and municipalities, and under the agreement will not withdraw the Department of Environmental Quality’s power to make new water pollution rules.