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Committee advances bill to standardize agency notices in contested-case hearings
Summary
House Bill 520, presented by Representative Bruce with testimony from Brian Nichols of the Office of Administrative Hearings, would standardize agency notice language about contested-case hearing rights; Nichols said the change is prospective and intended to modernize inconsistent practices across agencies.
Representative Bruce introduced House Bill 520 as a follow-up to last year's administrative hearings modernization. Brian Nichols, Chief Administrative Law Judge and Director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, summarized the bill as a standardization of the notice agencies must provide to parties entitled to contested-case hearings.
"This just standardizes and modernizes the kind of information agencies are required to give to the parties, with regard to their right to have a contested case hearing," Nichols said, adding the change came from reviewing varied agency notice practices after the Office began conducting hearings in 2023. Nichols said the bill "would be looking forward" and would not apply retroactively to past cases.
Representative Scott moved to send HB520 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the motion carried by voice vote. Committee members asked whether the Office had authority over all agencies; Nichols said Water Resources is carved out of his statutory authority.
