DCA legislative office outlines BPPE sunset‑review timeline; advisory role clarified

Ryan Thatcher of the Department of Consumer Affairs’ legislative office told the advisory committee the bureau’s sunset review will follow the standard legislative schedule: the bureau’s sunset report is due to the joint committees in early January, a background paper from those committees typically arrives in late February or early March with written responses due in April, and a sunset hearing usually occurs in March. Thatcher said a sunset bill (often a four‑year extension) is typically introduced as a spot bill in mid to late February and accumulates substantive language through the spring and summer before a final vote.

Thatcher explained that for bureaus, advisory committees do not have a technical approval role for the sunset report; the report goes through agency and governor’s‑office review before submission. He encouraged committee members to review the report when it is published in January and said the DCA legislative office will help the bureau prepare for mock hearings and responses.

"This is just a mechanism that the legislature uses to provide oversight over the bureau," Thatcher said, urging committee members that there will be opportunities to review and provide feedback as materials are circulated.

Committee members asked whether the advisory committee would have a formal role; Thatcher said not typically, but members may provide advice and help prepare material for hearings. The bureau’s next advisory committee meeting in February was noted as a likely forum to review the sunset report and prepare for the joint‑committee process.