§968. Review of agency rules; fees

A. It is the declared purpose of this Section to provide a procedure whereby the legislature may review the exercise of rule-making authority and the adoption, increasing, or decreasing of fees, extensions of the legislative lawmaking function, which it has delegated to state agencies.

B. Prior to the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule or the adoption, increase, or decrease of any fee, the agency shall submit a report relative to such proposed rule change or fee adoption, increase, or decrease to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature and the presiding officers of the respective houses as provided in this Section. The report shall be so submitted on the same day the notice of the intended action is submitted to the Louisiana Register for publication in accordance with R.S. 49:953(A)(1). The report shall be submitted to each standing committee electronically if electronic means are available. If no electronic means are available, the report shall be submitted to the committee's office in the state capitol by certified mail with return receipt requested or by messenger who shall provide a receipt for signature. The electronic receipt by the committee, return receipt or the messenger's receipt shall be proof of receipt of the report by the committee.

(1) The Department of Economic Development, all of the agencies made a part of it, and those agencies transferred to or placed within the office of the governor pursuant to R.S. 36:4.1 shall submit the report to the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs.

(2) Corrections services of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and all the agencies of the department related to corrections and concealed weapons and concealed weapon permits, except as otherwise provided in this Subsection, the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners, and the gaming enforcement section of the office of state police within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall submit all reports other than reports on proposed rule changes affecting prison enterprise programs, to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice and the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Section C; however, the Crime Victims Reparation Board shall submit the report to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Section B.

(3) The Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism and all of the agencies made a part of it, except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, shall submit the report to the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs.

(a) The office of the state library, the office of the state museum, the State Board of Library Examiners, the Louisiana Archaeological Survey and Antiquities Commission, the Board of Directors of the Louisiana State Museum, the Board of Commissioners of the State Library of Louisiana, the Louisiana State Arts Council, the Louisiana State Capitol Fiftieth Anniversary Commission, and the Louisiana National Register Review Committee shall submit the report to the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs and the Senate Committee on Education.

(b) The office of state parks and the State Parks and Recreation Commission shall submit the report to the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

(c) The office of tourism and promotion and the Louisiana Tourist Development Commission shall submit the report to the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs.

(4) The Department of State and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit a report to the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

(5) The Louisiana Workforce Commission and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations and the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

(6) The Department of Transportation and Development and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report, to the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works and the Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works. The department shall also submit to the standing committees any policies or priorities developed for the expenditure or distribution of any monies from the Transportation Trust Fund as created by Article VII, Section 27 of the Constitution of Louisiana. The policies and priorities shall be submitted for review purposes only.

(7) Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 451, §5, eff. Jan. 12, 2004.

(8) The Department of Justice and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Section C.

(9) The Department of Civil Service and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs; however, the Board of Tax Appeals shall submit the report to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs.

(10) The Department of Revenue and all of the agencies made a part of it, except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, shall submit the report to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs; however, the office of charitable gaming shall submit the report to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice and the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Section B.

(11) The Department of Natural Resources and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. However, for exercises of the commissioner of conservation's rulemaking authority pursuant to Chapter 13-A-1 of Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, the department shall submit the report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

(12) Public Safety Services of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and all the agencies of the department related to public safety, except as otherwise provided in this Subsection, shall submit the report to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Section B; however, the office of motor vehicles shall submit the report to the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Section B; however, the office of the state fire marshal, code enforcement and building safety, shall submit the report to the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.

(13) The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

(14) The Department of Insurance and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Insurance and the Senate Committee on Insurance.

(15)(a) The Department of the Treasury and all of the agencies made a part of it, except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, shall submit the report to the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance.

(b) Each retirement system made a part of the Department of the Treasury shall submit the report to the House Committee on Retirement and the Senate Committee on Retirement.

(16) The Louisiana Department of Health and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.

(17) The Department of Children and Family Services and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.

(18) The Department of Agriculture and Forestry and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit all reports, and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and all the agencies made a part of it shall submit reports on proposed rule changes affecting prison enterprise programs to the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development.

(19) The Department of Education and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education.

(20) The Department of Public Service and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs.

(21)(a) Except as provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the office of the governor and the office of the lieutenant governor and all of the agencies within or part of either and any other agency for which provisions are not otherwise made in this Subsection, shall submit the report to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate, except that executive orders duly issued by the governor and attested to by the secretary of state are exempt from the provisions of this Chapter. The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate shall promptly forward the report to the appropriate standing committee of their respective houses.

(b) The Louisiana Workforce Investment Council shall submit the report to the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations and the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

(c) The Office of Group Benefits shall submit the report to the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance.

(22) The Department of Environmental Quality and all of the agencies made a part of it shall submit the report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

(23) The Louisiana Sentencing Commission shall submit the report to the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Section C.

(24)(a) In addition to the submission of a report relative to a proposed rule change or fee adoption, increase, or decrease by an agency to the appropriate standing committee as specified in Paragraphs (1) through (23) of this Subsection, whenever the fiscal impact of the rule or fee adoption, increase, or decrease, as indicated by the statement of fiscal impact required by Paragraph (C)(5) of this Section, exceeds one million dollars, the report on the proposed rule change or fee adoption, increase, or decrease shall also be submitted to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations and shall be subject to review by those committees in the same manner and to the same extent as the review of the standing committees provided for in Paragraphs (1) through (23) of this Subsection.

(b) Whenever the fiscal impact or economic impact of the proposed rule change or fee adoption, increase, or decrease is five hundred thousand dollars or more as indicated by the statement of fiscal impact or the statement of economic impact required by Subsection C of this Section, the agency shall transmit the report provided for in Subsection C of this Section to each member of the legislature via electronic mail on the same day the notice of the intended action is submitted to the Louisiana Register for publication in accordance with R.S. 49:953.

C. The report, as provided for in Subsection B of this Section, shall contain:

(1) A copy of the rule as it is proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal and a statement of the amount of the fee to be adopted or the amount of the proposed increase or decrease. The rule shall be coded with any new rule or language that is to be added to an existing agency rule underscored and any language that is to be deleted from an existing agency rule in struck-through type.

(2) A statement of the proposed action, that is, whether the rule is proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal; a brief summary of the content of the rule if proposed for adoption or repeal; and a brief summary of the change in the rule if proposed for amendment.

(3) The specific citation of the enabling legislation purporting to authorize the adoption, amending, or repeal of the rule or purporting to authorize the adoption, increasing, or decreasing of the fee.

(4) A statement of the circumstances which require adoption, amending, or repeal of the rule or the adoption, increasing, or decreasing of the fee.

(5) A statement of the fiscal impact of the proposed action and a statement of the economic impact of the proposed action, both approved by the Legislative Fiscal Office.

D.(1)(a) The chairman of each standing committee to which reports are submitted shall appoint an oversight subcommittee, which may conduct hearings on all rules that are proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal and on all proposed fee adoptions, increases, or decreases. Any such hearing shall be conducted after any hearing is conducted by the agency pursuant to R.S. 49:953(A)(2).

(b) The agency shall submit a report to the subcommittee, in the same manner as the submittal of the report provided for in Subsection B of this Section, which shall include:

(i) A summary of all testimony at any hearing conducted pursuant to R.S. 49:953(A)(2).

(ii) A summary of all comments received by the agency, a copy of the agency's response to the summarized comments, and a statement of any tentative or proposed action of the agency resulting from oral or written comments received.

(iii) A revision of the proposed rule if any changes to the rule have been made since the report provided for in Subsection B of this Section was submitted, or a statement that no changes have been made.

(iv) A concise statement of the principal reasons for and against adoption of any amendments or changes suggested.

(c) The agency shall publish on its website public notice that the report required by Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph has been delivered to the appropriate standing committee as provided for in Subsection B of this Section within one business day from submission of the report to the appropriate standing committee. If the agency does not maintain a website, the agency may submit the public notice to the Office of the State Register for publication on a website maintained by the Office of the State Register.

(2)(a) Except as provided in Paragraph (H)(2) of this Section, any subcommittee hearing on a proposed rule shall be held no earlier than five days and no later than thirty days following the day the report required by Subparagraph (1)(b) of this Subsection is received by the subcommittee.

(b) The oversight subcommittee may consist of the entire membership of the standing committee and shall consist of at least a majority of the membership of the standing committee, at the discretion of the chairman of the standing committee, with the concurrence of the speaker of the House of Representatives or the president of the Senate. House and Senate oversight subcommittees may meet jointly or separately to conduct hearings for purposes of rules review.

(3) At such hearings, the oversight subcommittees shall:

(a) Determine whether the rule change or action on fees is in conformity with the intent and scope of the enabling legislation purporting to authorize the adoption thereof.

(b) Determine whether the rule change or action on fees is in conformity and not contrary to all applicable provisions of law and of the constitution.

(c) Determine the advisability or relative merit of the rule change or action on fees.

(d) Determine whether the rule change or action on fees is acceptable or unacceptable to the oversight subcommittee.

E.(1)(a) Each such determination shall be made by the respective subcommittees of each house acting separately. Action by a subcommittee shall require the favorable vote of a majority of the members of the subcommittee who are present and voting, provided a quorum is present.

(b) No later than three weeks before the deadline for legislative oversight action, the chairman of the subcommittee may request, by letter, the consent of the subcommittee members to have a mail ballot instead of a meeting to consider a proposed rule or proposed fee action. If no objection is received within ten days of the chairman's request, the chairman shall cause a mail ballot to be sent to the members of the subcommittee. In order for the subcommittee to reject a proposed rule or proposed fee action, a majority of ballots returned to the chairman at least twenty-four hours prior to the deadline for legislative oversight action must disapprove the change. Any determination by the subcommittee shall be made within the period provided for oversight hearings in Paragraph (D)(2) of this Section.

(2) Failure of a subcommittee to conduct a hearing or to make a determination regarding any rule proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal shall not affect the validity of a rule otherwise adopted in compliance with this Chapter.

F.(1) If either the House or Senate oversight subcommittee determines that a proposed rule change or proposed fee action is unacceptable, the respective subcommittee shall provide a written report which contains the following:

(a) A copy of the proposed rule or a statement of the amount of the proposed fee action.

(b) A summary of the determinations made by the subcommittee in accordance with Subsections D and E of this Section.

(2) The written report shall be delivered to the governor, the agency proposing the rule change, and the Louisiana Register no later than four days after the committee makes its determination.

G. After receipt of the report of the subcommittee, the governor shall have ten calendar days in which to disapprove the action taken by the subcommittee. If the action of the subcommittee is not disapproved by the governor within ten calendar days from the day the subcommittee report is delivered to him, the rule change shall not be adopted by the agency until it has been changed or modified and subsequently found acceptable by the subcommittee, or has been approved by the standing committee, or by the legislature by concurrent resolution. If a proposed rule change is determined to be unacceptable by an oversight committee and such determination is not disapproved by the governor as provided in this Section, the agency shall not propose a rule change or emergency rule that is the same or substantially similar to such disapproved proposed rule change nor shall the agency adopt an emergency rule that is the same or substantially similar to such disapproved proposed rule change within four months after issuance of a written report by the subcommittee as provided in Subsection F of this Section nor more than once during the interim between regular sessions of the legislature.

H.(1) If both the House and Senate oversight subcommittees fail to find a proposed rule change unacceptable as provided herein, or if the governor disapproves the action of an oversight subcommittee within the time provided in R.S. 49:968(G), the proposed rule change may be adopted by the agency in the identical form proposed by the agency or with technical changes or with changes suggested by the subcommittee, provided at least ninety days and no more than twelve months have elapsed since notice of intent was published in the Louisiana Register.

(2) Substantive changes to a rule proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal occur if the nature of the proposed rule is altered or if such changes affect additional or different substantive matters or issues not included in the notice required by R.S. 49:953(A)(1). Whenever an agency seeks to substantively change a proposed rule after notice of intent has been published in the Louisiana Register pursuant to R.S. 49:953(A)(1), the agency shall hold a public hearing on the substantive changes preceded by an announcement of the hearing in the Louisiana Register. A notice of the hearing shall be mailed within ten days after the date the announcement is submitted to the Louisiana Register to all persons who have made request of the agency for such notice. Any hearing by the agency pursuant to this Paragraph shall be held no earlier than thirty days after the publication of the announcement in the Louisiana Register. The agency hearing shall conform to R.S. 49:953(A)(2)(b), and a report on the hearing shall be made to the oversight committees in accordance with Subparagraph (D)(1)(b) of this Section. The agency shall make available to interested persons a copy of such report no later than one working day following the submittal of such report to the oversight committees. Any determination as to the rule by the oversight committees, prior to gubernatorial review as provided in Subsection G of this Section, shall be made no earlier than five days and no later than thirty days following the day the report required by this Paragraph is received from the agency.

(3) If a rule or part of a rule that is severable from a larger rule or body of rules proposed as a unit is found unacceptable, the rules or parts thereof found acceptable may be adopted by the agency in accordance with Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.

I. If the governor disapproves the action of an oversight subcommittee, he shall state written reasons for his action and shall deliver a copy of his reasons to the House and Senate oversight subcommittees, the agency proposing the rule change, and the Louisiana Register.

J. The Louisiana Register shall publish a copy of the written report of an oversight subcommittee and the written report of the governor in disapproving any such action, or if unduly cumbersome, expensive, or otherwise inexpedient, a notice stating the general subject matter of the omitted report and stating how a copy thereof may be obtained.

K.(1) Each year, no later than thirty days prior to the beginning of the regular session of the legislature, each agency shall submit a report to the appropriate committees as provided for in Subsection B of this Section. This report shall contain a statement of the action taken by the agency with respect to adoption, amendment, or repeal of each rule proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal during the previous year and a report of the action taken by the agency with respect to any proposed fee adoption, increase, or decrease during the previous year.

(2) The report required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall also contain a recitation of each petition and submission, if any, received by the agency pursuant to R.S. 49:953(C) during the previous calendar year and the agency's response to each petition and submission, if any were received.

L. After submission of the report required by Subsection K of this Section to the standing committee, a public hearing may be held by the committee for the purpose of reviewing the report with representatives of the agency.

M. No later than the second legislative day of the regular session of the legislature, a standing committee to which proposed rule changes or proposed fee changes are submitted may submit a report to the legislature. This report shall contain a summary of all action taken by the committee or the oversight subcommittee with respect to agency rules and fees during the preceding twelve months. The report shall also contain any recommendations of the committee for statutory changes concerning the agency, particularly in statutes authorizing the making and promulgation of rules and fees of the agency.

N. A standing committee may, at any time, exercise the powers granted to an oversight subcommittee under the provisions of this Section.

Acts 1990, No. 312, §1; Acts 1990, No. 938, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1085, §1, eff. July 31, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 21, §2, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 938, §5; Acts 1992, No. 377, §4, eff. June 17, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 447, §3, eff. June 20, 1992; Acts 1993, No. 119, §1; Acts 1993, No. 733, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1057, §1, eff. June 29, 1995 and Jan. 8, 1996 (1/8/96 date is applicable to Dept. of Health and Hospitals only); Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §3, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 1, §5, eff. April 30, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1001, §1; Acts 1999, No. 568, §2, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 8, §16, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2001, No. 9, §8, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2001, No. 300, §3; Acts 2001, No. 451, §5, eff. Jan. 12, 2004; Acts 2001, No. 1178, §7, eff. June 29, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 49, §3, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 116, §3, eff. May 28, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 183, §7; Acts 2003, No. 358, §1; Acts 2003, No. 850, §3; Acts 2003, No. 1049, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §6; Acts 2008, No. 743, §4, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2010, No. 777, §1; Acts 2010, No. 861, §21; Acts 2010, No. 877, §3, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2012, No. 549, §1; Acts 2012, No. 725, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; Acts 2012, No. 744, §1, eff. June 12, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 220, §23, eff. June 11, 2013; Acts 2014, No. 640, §3, eff. June 12, 2014; Acts 2014, No. 832, §7.(A); Acts 2018, No. 454, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019.