In a move that could alter the fabric of Oklahoma's legislative process, Senate Bill 995, designed to give lawmakers more control over the enactment of administrative rules, has advanced to the House floor. As reported by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, this bill will mandate legislative approval for all administrative rules, a significant shift from the current protocol where unaddressed rules still have the power to become law.
This legislative proposition, championed by Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, addresses concerns that agency bureaucrats are essentially legislating without the direct input of elected officials. "Too often, administrative rules written by unelected agency bureaucrats go into effect without any input from the people’s elected representatives," said Kendrix, elucidating on the democratization of this procedural adjustment, as per a report by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The unanimity in Wednesday's committee clearance of SB995, manifested in an 11-0 vote, sets the stage for further debate on the House floor.
Under the existing rules procedure in Oklahoma, as mentioned by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, agencies draft rules to flesh out state statutes, which then enter a period of public commentary before being finalized with legal force. If these finalized rules do not elicit a response from the legislature or the governor, they automatically take effect.
SB995, as elaborated by its House proponent Kendrix, necessitates explicit legislative approval through a joint resolution, rendering any rules without such sanction defunct. Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, originally authored the bill and chaired studies to probe potential rulemaking reforms. Kendrix believes that the passage of this bill aligns with the transparency and accountability, Oklahomans merit. Despite its passage in the House committee, SB995 will require reapproval from the Senate due to its amendments before it can be presented to the governor.
