04/30/2003 01:48 PM Senate JUD

         HB  34-REPEAL SUNSET OF NEGOTIATED REG.MAKING                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RALPH   SEEKINS  called  the  Senate   Judiciary  Standing                                                             
Committee meeting  to order  at 1:48  p.m. Present  were Senators                                                               
Ellis, Therriault and Chair Seekins. He  announced HB 34 to be up                                                               
for consideration.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. BARBARA  COTTING, Staff to  Representative Jim  Holm, sponsor                                                               
of  HB 34,  explained that  in 1998  a process  called negotiated                                                               
regulation  making was  authorized  in statute  and  was given  a                                                               
sunset date  of July 1,  2003. HB 34  repeals that sunset  so the                                                               
process can continue  to be used. It's been  widely supported and                                                               
makes  regulation  writing  much   more  applicable  to  reality,                                                               
allowing   a  team   of  affected   parties   to  negotiate   the                                                               
regulations. It takes more time  at the beginning of the process,                                                               
but saves so much at the  end by eliminating lawsuits and lengthy                                                               
public  appeals.  Two  of  the most  notable  successes  are  the                                                               
charitable  gaming  regulations  (2001)   in  the  Department  of                                                               
Revenue  and  the  cruise  ship  waste  disposal  (2002)  in  the                                                               
Department  of Environmental  Conservation.  Both  of those  were                                                               
resolved using the formal negotiated process.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS said he supported the bill 100 percent.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THERRIAULT  moved to  pass  HB  34 from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations  and the two accompanying  zero fiscal                                                               
notes. There was no objection and it was so ordered.