Senate File 127 expands legislative review of "major" administrative rules; questions raised about emergency rules and staffing

The Management Audit Committee on Friday received a detailed briefing on Senate File 127, the new law that requires the Legislative Service Office to perform economic analyses of so‑called "major rules," notify every legislator when those rules are proposed and make those regulatory impact analyses public.

Josh Anderson of the Legislative Service Office summarized the bill and the existing rule‑review process, saying the Department of Administration’s Administrative Procedure Act governs rulemaking and that "these rules, when they're properly adopted, they do have the force and effect of law." He told the committee SF 127 directs LSO to provide a copy of each major rule to every member of the legislature within 15 days and to complete a regulatory impact analysis within 50 days.

Committee members and LSO research staff described how the new timeline and the bill's definition of a "major rule" could change oversight in Wyoming. Under the statute as passed, a major rule is one that "will result in or is likely to result in an annual impact on the economy of Wyoming of $1,000,000 or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity or innovation in the state." The law also authorizes…