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Bill to end judicial deference to agencies draws strong support and strong opposition
Summary
House Bill 52 would require courts to interpret statutes and agency rules without deference to agency interpretations; proponents said it restores legislative authority while opponents warned of technical and practical harms for environmental, labor and safety decision-making.
Representative Lee Deming introduced House Bill 52 to instruct judges not to defer to state agencies— interpretations of statutes or rules and instead to interpret legal text de novo, arguing it would restore legislative intent and limit agency overreach.
Proponents included former lawmakers, advocacy groups and legal institutes. The Goldwater Institute, Pacific Legal Foundation and Citizens Against Excessive Regulations urged the committee to pass the bill, invoking the U.S. Supreme Court—s recent decisions on administrative deference and portraying HB 52 as a state-level…
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