Senate Bill 827 Summary

• Establishes an Environmental Rules Committee as an independent body in the Department of Environmental Quality composed of voting members representing industry, business, environmental, agricultural, and local government interests, plus non-voting state officials.

• Requires the Environmental Rules Committee to review draft proposed rules from the Department of Environmental Quality before public hearings and approve them based on criteria including whether rules exceed statutory authority, reasonably implement applicable law, are necessary and proportionate to their burdens, and are based on sound scientific reasoning.

• Exempts Department of Environmental Quality rules approved by the Environmental Rules Committee from preparing small business impact statements and regulatory impact statements under existing Administrative Procedures Act requirements.

• Renames "Office of Regulatory Reform" to "Office of Performance and Transformation" throughout the Administrative Procedures Act and clarifies procedures for rule notice publication and legislative committee review of proposed rules.

• Applies only to Department of Environmental Quality rule-making requests submitted before December 31, 2019, and takes effect July 1, 2016.