R15-4. Administrative Rulemaking Procedures, R15. Administrative Services, Administrative Rules (Office of), Utah Administrative Code

Utah Administrative Code (Current through November 1, 2019)

R15. Administrative Services, Administrative Rules (Office of)

R15-4. Administrative Rulemaking Procedures

R15-4-5a. Notice of the Effective Date for a Proposed Rule

Latest version.

(1)(a) Pursuant to Subsection 63G-3-301(12), upon expiration of the comment period designated on the rule analysis and filed with the rule, and before expiration of 120 days after publication of a proposed rule, the agency proposing the rule shall notify the office of the date the rule is to become effective and enforceable.

(b) The agency shall notify the office after determining that the proposed rule, in the form published, shall be the final form of the rule, and after informing the office of any nonsubstantive changes in the rule as provided for in Section R15-4-6.

(2)(a) The agency shall notify the office by filing with the office a Notice of Effective Date form using eRules.

(b) If the eRules Notice of Effective Date form is unavailable to the agency, the agency may notify the office by any other form of written communication clearly identifying the proposed rule, stating the date the rule was filed with the office or published in the bulletin, and stating its effective date.

(3) The date designated as the effective date shall be:

(a) at least seven days after the comment period specified on the rule analysis; or

(b) if the agency formally extends the comment period for a proposed rule by publishing a subsequent notice in an issue of the bulletin, at least seven days after the extended comment period.

(4) The office shall publish notice of the effective date in the next issue of the bulletin. There is no publication deadline for a notice of effective date for a proposed rule, nor requirement that it be published prior to the effective date.

R15-4-5b. Notice of the Effective Date for a Change in Proposed Rule

Latest version.

(1)(a) Upon expiration of the 30-day period required by Section 63G-3-303, and before expiration of the 120th day after publication of a change in proposed rule, the agency promulgating the rule shall notify the office of the date the rule is to become effective and enforceable.

(b) The agency shall notify the office after determining that the rule text as published is the final form of the rule, and after informing the office of any nonsubstantive changes in the rule as provided for in Section R15-4-6.

(2)(a) The agency shall notify the office by filing with the office a Notice of Effective Date form using eRules.

(b) If the eRules Notice of Effective Date form is unavailable to the agency, the agency may notify the office by any other form of written communication clearly identifying the change in proposed rule and any rules upon which the change in proposed rule is dependent, stating the date the rules were filed with the office or published in the bulletin, and stating the effective date.

(3) The date designated as the effective date shall be:

(a) at least 30 days after the publication date of the rule in the bulletin, or

(b) if the agency designated a comment period, at least seven days after a comment period designated by the agency on the rule analysis or formally extended by publication of a subsequent notice in the bulletin.

(4) The office shall publish notice of the effective date in the next issue of the bulletin. There is no publication deadline for the notice of effective date for a change in proposed rule, nor requirement that it be published prior to the effective date.

R15-4-1. Authority and Purpose

Latest version.

(1) This rule establishes procedures for filing and publication of agency rules under Sections 63G-3-301, 63G-3-303, and 63G-3-304, as authorized under Subsection 63G-3-402(2).

(2) The procedures of this rule constitute minimum requirements for rule filing and publication. Other governing statutes, federal laws, or federal regulations may require additional rule filing and publication procedures.

R15-4-2. Definitions

Latest version.

(1) Terms used in this rule are defined in Section 63G-3-102.

(2) Other terms are defined as follows:

(a) "Anniversary date" means the date that is five years from the original effective date of the rule, or the date that is five years from the date the agency filed with the office the most recent five-year review required under Subsection 63G-3-305(3), whichever is sooner.

(b) "Digest" means the Utah State Digest that summarizes the content of the bulletin as required by Subsection 63G-3-402(1)(e);

(c) "Codify" means the process of collecting and arranging administrative rules systematically in the Utah Administrative Code, and includes the process of verifying that each amendment was marked as required under Subsection 63G-3-301(4)(b);

(d) "Compliance cost" means expenditures a regulated person will incur if a rule or change is made effective;

(e) "coordinator" means the coordinator of the Office of Administrative Rules;

(f) "Cost" means the aggregated expenses persons as a class affected by a rule will incur if a rule or change is made effective;

(g) "eRules" means the administrative rule filing application that agencies use to file rules and notices;

(h) "Savings" means:

(i) an aggregated monetary amount that will no longer be incurred by persons as a class if a rule or change is made effective;

(ii) an aggregated monetary amount that will be refunded or rebated if a rule or change is made effective;

(iii) an aggregated monetary amount of anticipated revenues to be generated for state budgets, local governments, or both if a rule or change is made effective; or

(iv) any combination of these aggregated monetary amounts.

(i) "Unmarked change" means a change made to rule text that was not marked as required by Subsection 63G-3-301(4)(b).

R15-4-3. Publication Dates and Deadlines

Latest version.

(1) For the purposes of Subsections 63G-3-301(4) and 63G-3-303(1), an agency shall file its rule and rule analysis by 11:59:59 p.m. on the fifteenth day of the month for publication in the bulletin and digest issued on the first of the next month, and by 11:59:59 p.m. on the first day of the month for publication on the fifteenth of the same month.

(a) If the first or fifteenth day is a Saturday, or a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday holiday, the agency shall file the rule and rule analysis by 11:59:59 p.m. on the previous regular business day.

(b) If the first or fifteenth day is a Sunday or Monday holiday, the agency shall file the rule and rule analysis by 11:59:59 p.m. on the next regular business day.

(2) For all purposes, the official date of publication for the bulletin and digest shall be the first and fifteenth days of each month.

R15-4-4. Thirty-day Comment Period for a Proposed Rule and a Change in Proposed Rule

Latest version.

(1) For the purposes of Sections 63G-3-301 and 63G-3-303, "30 days" shall be computed by:

(a) counting the day after publication of the rule as the first day; and

(b) counting the thirtieth consecutive day after the day of publication as the thirtieth day, unless

(c) the thirtieth consecutive day is a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, in which event the thirtieth day is the next regular business day.

R15-4-6. Nonsubstantive Changes in Rules

Latest version.

(1) Pursuant to Subsections 63G-3-201(4)(d) and 63G-3-303(2), for the purpose of making rule changes that are grammatical or do not materially affect the application or outcome of agency procedures and standards, agencies shall comply with the procedures of this section.

(2) The agency proposing a change shall determine if the change is substantive or nonsubstantive according to the criteria cited in Subsection R15-4-6(1).

(a) The agency may seek the advice of the attorney general or the office, but the agency is responsible for compliance with the cited criteria.

(3) Without complying with regular rulemaking procedures, an agency may make nonsubstantive changes in:

(a) proposed rules already published in the bulletin and digest but not made effective; or

(b) rules already effective.

(4) To make a nonsubstantive change in a rule, the agency shall:

(a) notify the office by filing with the office the form designated for nonsubstantive changes;

(b) include with the notice the rule text to be changed, with changes marked as required by Section R15-4-9; and

(5) A nonsubstantive change becomes effective on the date the office makes the change in the Utah Administrative Code.

(6) The office shall record the nonsubstantive change and its effective date in the administrative rules register.

R15-4-7. Substantive Changes in Proposed Rules

Latest version.

(1) Pursuant to Section 63G-3-303, agencies shall comply with the procedures of this section when making a substantive change in a proposed rule.

(a) The procedures of this section apply if:

(i) the agency determines a change in the rule is necessary;

(ii) the change is substantive under the criteria of Subsection 63G-3-102(20);

(iii) the rule was published as a proposal in the bulletin and digest; and

(iv) the rule has not been made effective under the procedures of Subsection 63G-3-301(12) and Section R15-4-5a.

(b) If the rule is already effective, the agency shall comply with regular rulemaking procedures.

(2) To make a substantive change in a proposed rule, the agency shall file with the office:

(a) a rule analysis, marked to indicate the agency intends to change a rule already published, and describing the change and reasons for it; and

(b) a copy of the proposed rule previously published in the bulletin marked to show only those changes made since the proposed rule was previously published.

(3) The office shall publish the rule analysis in the next issue of the bulletin, subject to the publication deadlines of Section R15-4-3. The office may also publish the changed text of the rule.

(4) The agency may make a change in proposed rule effective by following the requirements of Section R15-4-5b, or may further amend the rule by following the procedures of Sections R15-4-6 or R15-4-7.

R15-4-8. Temporary 120-day Rules

Latest version.

(1) Pursuant to Section 63G-3-304, for the purpose of filing a temporary rule, an agency shall comply with the procedures of this section.

(2) The agency proposing a temporary rule shall determine if the need for the rule complies with the criteria of Subsection 63G-3-304(1).

(a) The office interprets the criteria of Subsection 63G-3-304(1) to include under "welfare" any substantial material loss to the classes of persons or agencies the agency is mandated to regulate, serve, or protect.

(3) The agency shall use the same procedures for filing and publishing a temporary rule as for a permanent rule, except:

(a) the rule shall become effective and enforceable on the day and hour it is recorded by the office unless the agency designates a later effective date on the rule analysis;

(b) no comment period is necessary;

(d) the rule shall expire 120 days after the rule's effective date unless the filing agency notifies the office, on the form or by memorandum, of an earlier expiration date.

(4) A temporary rule is separate and distinct from a rule filed under regular rulemaking procedures, though the language of the two rules may be identical. To make a temporary rule permanent, the agency shall propose a separate rule for regular rulemaking.

(5) When a temporary rule and a similar regular rule are in effect at the same time, any conflict between the provisions of the two are resolved in favor of the rule with the most recent effective date, unless the agency designates otherwise as part of the rule analysis.

(6) A temporary rule has the full force and effect of a permanent rule while in effect, but a temporary rule is not codified in the Utah Administrative Code.

R15-4-9. Underscoring and Striking Out

Latest version.

(1) (a) Pursuant to Subsection 63G-3-301(4)(b), an agency shall underscore language to be added and strike out language to be deleted in proposed rules.

(b) Consistent with Subsection 63G-3-301(4)(b), an agency shall underscore language to be added and strike out language to be deleted in changes in proposed rules, 120-day rules, and nonsubstantive changes.

(2) When an agency proposes to make a new rule or section, the entire proposed text shall be underscored.

(3)(a) When an agency proposes to repeal a complete rule it shall include as part of the information provided in the rule analysis a brief summary of the deleted language and a brief explanation of why the rule is being repealed.

(b) The agency shall include with the rule analysis a copy of the text to be deleted in one of the following formats:

(i) each page annotated "repealed in its entirety" or

(ii) the entire text struck out in its entirety and surrounded by one set of brackets.

(4) When an agency fails to mark a change as described in this section, the coordinator may refuse to codify the change. When determining whether or not to codify an unmarked change, the coordinator shall consider:

(a) whether the unmarked change is substantive or nonsubstantive; and

(b) if the purpose of public notification has been adequately served.

(5) The coordinator's refusal to codify an unmarked change means that the change is not operative for the purposes of Section 63G-3-701 and that the agency must comply with regular rulemaking procedures to make the change.

R15-4-10. Estimates of Anticipated Cost or Savings, and Compliance Cost

Latest version.

(1) Pursuant to Subsections 63G-3-301(8)(d), 63G-3-303(1)(a), 63G-3-304(2), and 53C-1-201(3), when an agency files a proposed rule, change in proposed rule, 120-day (emergency) rule, or expedited rule and provides anticipated cost or savings, and compliance cost information in the rule analysis, the agency shall:

(a) estimate the incremental cost or savings and incremental compliance cost associated with the changes proposed by the rule or change;

(b) estimate the incremental cost or savings and incremental compliance cost in dollars, except as otherwise provided in Subsections R15-4-10(4) and (5);

(d) estimate the incremental cost or savings expected to accrue to "state budgets," "local governments," "small businesses," and "persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities" as aggregated cost or savings;

(2) In addition, an agency may:

(a) provide a narrative description of anticipated cost or savings, and compliance cost;

(b) compare anticipated cost or savings, and compliance cost figures, for the rule or change to:

(i) current budgeted costs associated with the existing rule,

(ii) figures reported on a fiscal note attached to a related legislative bill, or

(iii) both (i) and (ii).

(3) If an agency chooses to provide comparison figures, it shall clearly distinguish comparison figures from the anticipated cost or savings, and compliance cost figures.

(4) If dollar estimates are unknown or not available, or the obtaining thereof would impose a substantial unbudgeted hardship on the agency, the agency may substitute a reasoned narrative description of cost-related actions required by the rule or change, and explain the reason or reasons for the substitution.

(5) If no cost, savings, or compliance cost is associated with the rule or change, an agency may enter "none," "no impact," or similar words in the rule analysis followed by a written explanation of how the agency estimated that there would be no impact, or how the proposed rule, or changes made to an existing rule does not apply to "state budgets," "local government," "small businesses," "persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities," or any combination of these.

(6) If an agency does not provide an estimate of cost, savings, compliance cost, or a reasoned narrative description of cost information; or a written explanation as part of the rule analysis in compliance with this section, the office may, after making an attempt to obtain the required information, refuse to register and publish the rule or change. If the office refuses to register and publish a rule or change, it shall:

(a) return the rule or change to the agency with a notice indicating that the office has refused to register and publish the rule or change;

(b) identify the reason or reasons why the office refused to register and publish the rule or change; and