AK HB351

State agencies cannot adopt new regulations unless they meet one of six criteria, including being initial regulations for newly created boards, replacing existing regulations with equal or lower cost, being emergency regulations, or implementing laws enacted within 120 days.

The lieutenant governor cannot accept new regulations that fail to comply with the adoption requirements and may extend the 120-day timeline for regulations implementing new or amended laws for reasonable cause.

Regulations amending existing rules require estimated net costs of zero or less, except for the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development or boards/commissions adopting fee-related regulations under AS 08.

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Regulatory Commission of Alaska are exempt from the requirements for amending existing regulations.

The Act applies to all regulations adopted on or after January 1, 2017.