ORS 183.720: Procedure for review of agency rule; reports on rules claimed to be duplicative or conflicting.

(1) The Legislative Counsel may review, or shall review at the direction of the Legislative Counsel Committee, a proposed rule or an adopted rule of a state agency. (2) The Legislative Counsel may review an adopted rule of a state agency upon the written request of any person affected by the rule. The Legislative Counsel shall review a proposed or adopted rule of a state agency upon the written request of any member of the Legislative Assembly. The written request for review must identify the specific objection or problem with the rule. (3) When reviewing a rule of a state agency pursuant to subsection (1) or (2) of this section, the Legislative Counsel shall: (a) Determine whether the rule appears to be within the intent and scope of the enabling legislation purporting to authorize its adoption; and (b) Determine whether the rule raises any constitutional issue other than described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, and if so, the nature of the issue. (4) In making a determination under subsection (3)(a) of this section, the Legislative Counsel shall, wherever possible, follow generally accepted principles of statutory construction. (5) The Legislative Counsel shall prepare written findings on a rule reviewed, setting forth the determinations made under subsection (3) of this section. (6) When a review of a rule is made by the Legislative Counsel, the Legislative Counsel shall send a copy of the determinations made under subsection (3) of this section to the appropriate interim committee or, if the review was requested by a member of the Legislative Assembly or by a person affected by the rule, to the person requesting the review. If the Legislative Counsel determines that a rule is not within the intent and scope of the enabling legislation purporting to authorize the state agency’s adoption of the rule, or that the rule raises a constitutional issue, the Legislative Counsel shall also send a copy of the determination to the agency. The Legislative Counsel may request that the state agency respond in writing to the determinations or appear at the meeting of the interim committee at which the committee will consider the determinations. The interim committee may direct the Legislative Counsel to send a copy of the determinations to the presiding officer of a house of the Legislative Assembly, who may refer the determinations to any legislative committee concerned. (7)(a) A member of the Legislative Assembly may request that Legislative Counsel prepare a report on a rule adopted by a state agency that the member asserts is duplicative of or conflicts with another rule. A person affected by a rule adopted by a state agency may request that Legislative Counsel prepare a report on the rule if the person asserts that the rule is duplicative of or conflicts with another rule. A request for a report must be in writing and contain copies of the two rules that are claimed to be duplicative or conflicting. The second rule may be either a rule adopted by a state agency or a rule or regulation adopted by a federal agency. (b)(A) Upon receipt of a written request by a member of the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Counsel shall prepare a report to the interim committee that contains: (i) A copy of the request, including copies of the two rules that the member asserts are conflicting or duplicative; and (ii) Legislative Counsel’s analysis of the requirements of the two rules. (B) Upon receipt of a written request by a person affected by a rule adopted by a state agency, the Legislative Counsel may prepare a written report to the person and each state agency concerned that contains the Legislative Counsel’s analysis of the requirements of the two rules. (8) Upon receipt of a report under subsection (7)(b)(A) of this section, the interim committee may issue a determination that a rule is duplicative of or conflicts with the other cited rule. (9) When a report on a rule is made by the Legislative Counsel under subsection (7)(b)(A) of this section, the Legislative Counsel shall send a copy of the report and any determinations made under subsection (8) of this section to each state agency concerned. The interim committee may direct the Legislative Counsel to send a copy of the determinations to the presiding officer of a house of the Legislative Assembly, who may refer the determinations to any legislative committee concerned. [Formerly 171.709; 1993 c.729 §7; 1997 c.602 §4; 2001 c.156 §1; 2009 c.81 §4]