Rule Review
The Office of Legislative Legal Services has responsibility for implementing the statutory provisions for legislative review of administrative rules and regulations. Every rule adopted or amended by an executive agency is first reviewed by an Office of Legislative Legal Services attorney or legislative assistant to determine if the rule is within the power delegated to the agency and consistent with law. If the staff determines there is a problem with a rule, the rule is then reviewed by the Committee on Legal Services at a public hearing. By statute, all rules adopted or amended during any one-year period that begins November 1 and ends the following October 31 expire on the May 15th that follows such one-year period unless the General Assembly adopts a bill that postpones their expiration. Each session, members of the Committee on Legal Services sponsor a bill to postpone the expiration of the rules scheduled to expire May 15 of that year; except that those rules that the legislature finds to exceed the rule-making authority of the agency or to be inconsistent with law are designated to expire as scheduled on May 15. After each session of the General Assembly, the Office of Legislative Legal Services reviews existing rules to determine if they are in conflict with laws enacted during that session.