Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Contested Cases Water topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears proposal to standardize contested‑case schedule to reduce backlog
Summary
House Bill 3,544 would create a uniform contested‑case process for water rights applications, establish a default hearing schedule and require rulemaking; department staff described scope and said sections 2–3 contain most substantive changes. Co‑chairs signaled further amendments and will hold another hearing.
The House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water opened a public hearing March 12 on House Bill 3,544, a bill that would revise contested‑case procedures for water‑rights‑related protests and hearings.
Co‑chairs described the measure as an attempt to reduce a growing contested‑case backlog and to make settlement earlier and more likely. Deputy Director Raquel Ranciere and Will Davidson, the department’s protest program coordinator, gave a technical overview and said the bill’s principal changes are in sections 2 and 3; many later sections are conforming deletions or renumberings. The bill would apply a uniform contested‑case process to water‑rights application types handled by the department, establish a default hearing schedule, and require rulemaking to implement some procedural elements.
Davidson said parts of the legislation could be implemented by rule today, some would require Attorney General approval of model rules, and some require statutory changes. He noted the bill excludes enforcement contested cases and large adjudications; it is aimed at water‑rights application types that currently have varied contested‑case language across statute. The department characterized the bill as a technical and procedural consolidation intended to standardize and accelerate hearings.
Committee members and staff discussed timing and implementation. Co‑chairs said they plan further stakeholder engagement and another hearing; they noted that while the department has received additional staff and funding in recent biennia, contested cases are arriving faster than the department can process them. The committee closed the public hearing on HB 3,544 and scheduled follow‑up work rather than taking final action.
