SB 17-002

Senate Bill 17-002 changes how Colorado's main government departments review their rules. Instead of a schedule set by another agency, each department must now complete an initial review of all its rules by November 1, 2018, and then do a thorough check every three years after that. The bill also requires these departments to give the public at least two weeks to comment on proposed rule changes before finalizing them. This means that starting in 2021, Colorado's government departments will have regular reviews of their rules to make sure they are necessary and cost-effective, with input from the public and other state agencies. The bill has been signed into law, so these new requirements are now in effect.

Official Summary

Current law requires each principal department to review all of its rules, in accordance with a schedule established by the department of regulatory agencies (DORA), to assess, among other things, the continuing need and cost-effectiveness of each rule. The bill repeals the DORA schedule-setting and instead requires each department to complete or have completed, by November 1, 2018, an initial comprehensive internal rule review. Commencing in 2021, the bill imposes a triennial schedule for such reviews to be conducted. The bill further specifies that the public and certain state agencies must be accorded no fewer than 14 business days to provide input regarding an agency's rules during its review, and that any input received must be attached to the report setting forth the results of the rule reviews included in each agency's departmental regulatory agenda. Additionally, the bill encourages each principal department to undertake an annual review of rules to ensure that the rules conform to any federal or state laws enacted, or any federal or state rules promulgated, within the previous year. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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