04/10/2012 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

         HB 216-REGULATIONS: INFORMATIVE SUMMARY/BILLS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:11:03 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI   announced  that  HB  216   was  before  the                                                               
committee. He noted  the bill would set firmer  deadlines for the                                                               
drafting of regulations and require  that they are written simply                                                               
and  clearly. The  committee heard  an  overview of  the bill  on                                                               
April 3. There is a new CS for the bill, version L.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KOOKESH  moved to  adopt the proposed  SCS for  CSHB 216,                                                               
labeled 27-LS0701\L, as the working document.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI objected for discussion purposes.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He explained  that four  words "to  the extent  practicable" were                                                               
added to  the bill on  page 2,  lines 14-15. This  clarifies that                                                               
notices  accompanying  the release  of  new  regulations will  be                                                               
written  in  clear,  easily  readable  language  "to  the  extent                                                               
practicable."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
He  noted that  several agencies  within the  state deal  in very                                                               
complex, technical subject matter. The  committee did not want to                                                               
ask these agencies  to do something that would  prevent them from                                                               
communicating  the  content  of  their regulations  to  the  very                                                               
specific audiences  they are  seeking to  reach. For  example, if                                                               
the  Department  of  Environmental Conservation  is  putting  out                                                               
regulations on the use of  "polybrominated diphenyl ethers," they                                                               
may need  to use that term  at some point. He  said the committee                                                               
wanted to  make sure it was  not tying the hands  of agencies and                                                               
inadvertently preventing  them from actually saying  what they're                                                               
doing.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI removed  his  objection and  stated that  the                                                               
bill has a zero fiscal note.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KOOKESH moved to report the  SCS for CSHB 216, version L,                                                               
from committee  with individual recommendations and  the attached                                                               
zero fiscal  note. There  being no  objection, SCS  CSHB 216(STA)                                                               
was reported from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.