IA HF853

Courts and presiding officers in contested cases must interpret state statutes, rules, and agency documents de novo rather than deferring to an agency's interpretation of those provisions

Removes existing standard allowing courts to reverse agency action only when based on "irrational, illogical, or wholly unjustifiable" interpretations of law where agencies have been granted interpretive discretion

Eliminates provisions establishing varying degrees of deference to agency interpretations based on whether law has vested the agency with discretion over the matter

Requires courts and officers, after applying all customary tools of interpretation, to resolve any remaining doubt in favor of interpretations that limit agency authority

Amends Iowa Code Section 17A.19 and 17A.23 to codify these changes to judicial review standards under the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act