Wisconsin Capitol (WRN photo)
All administrative rules written by state agencies could soon have expiration dates.
Legislation being proposed by Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) and Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) would make all administrative rules expire after seven years, unless they are renewed by the agency that wrote them. “We want to make it a more structured process so that every chapter gets reviewed on a regular basis to make sure it’s doing what we anticipated it would do,” Steineke says.
Administrative rules are how state laws are implemented. The Kaukauna Republican expects most would be re-adopted without any issues. “But if the Legislature has reason to believe that there are issues with a particular chapter, they could pull that and do a more thorough review,” he says.
The bill is receiving strong support from the state chamber of commerce and conservative groups, but Democrats warn it could make it easier to weaken rules that protect the public and the environment. “This proposal is another special interest giveaway that would jeopardize our clean water protections, weaken financial safeguards and undermine workplace fairness rules,” argues Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse).