2016 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
227. Administrative procedure and review.
227.137 Economic impact analyses of proposed rules.

WI Stat § 227.137 (2016) What's This?

227.137 Economic impact analyses of proposed rules.

227.137(2)(2) An agency shall prepare an economic impact analysis for a proposed rule before submitting the proposed rule to the legislative council staff under s. 227.15.

227.137(3) (3) An economic impact analysis of a proposed rule shall contain information on the economic effect of the proposed rule on specific businesses, business sectors, public utility ratepayers, local governmental units, and the state's economy as a whole. When preparing the analysis, the agency shall solicit information and advice from businesses, associations representing businesses, local governmental units, and individuals that may be affected by the proposed rule. The agency shall prepare the economic impact analysis in coordination with local governmental units that may be affected by the proposed rule. The agency may request information that is reasonably necessary for the preparation of an economic impact analysis from other businesses, associations, local governmental units, and individuals and from other agencies. The economic impact analysis shall include all of the following:

227.137(3)(a) (a) An analysis and quantification of the policy problem that the proposed rule is intending to address, including comparisons with the approaches used by the federal government and by Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota to address that policy problem and, if the approach chosen by the agency to address that policy problem is different from those approaches, a statement as to why the agency chose a different approach.

227.137(3)(b) (b) An analysis and detailed quantification of the economic impact of the proposed rule, including the implementation and compliance costs that are reasonably expected to be incurred by or passed along to the businesses, local governmental units, and individuals that may be affected by the proposed rule.

227.137(3)(c) (c) An analysis of the actual and quantifiable benefits of the proposed rule, including an assessment of how effective the proposed rule will be in addressing the policy problem that the rule is intended to address.

227.137(3)(d) (d) An analysis of alternatives to the proposed rule, including the alternative of not promulgating the proposed rule.

227.137(3)(e) (e) A determination made in consultation with the businesses, local governmental units, and individuals that may be affected by the proposed rule as to whether the proposed rule would adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, jobs, or the overall economic competitiveness of this state.

227.137(3)(f) (f) Except as provided in this paragraph, if the economic impact analysis relates to a proposed rule of the department of safety and professional services under s. 101.63 (1) establishing standards for the construction of a dwelling, as defined in s. 101.61 (1), an analysis of whether the proposed rule would increase the cost of constructing or remodeling such a dwelling by more than $1,000. This paragraph applies notwithstanding that the purpose of the one- and 2-family dwelling code under s. 101.60 includes promoting interstate uniformity in construction standards. This paragraph does not apply to a proposed rule whose promulgation has been authorized under s. 227.19 (5) (fm).

227.137(3)(g) (g) An analysis of the ways in which and the extent to which the proposed rule would place any limitations on the free use of private property, including a discussion of alternatives to the proposed rule that would minimize any such limitations.

227.137(4) (4) On the same day that the agency submits the economic impact analysis to the legislative council staff under s. 227.15 (1), the agency shall also submit that analysis to the department of administration, to the governor, and to the chief clerks of each house of the legislature, who shall distribute the analysis to the presiding officers of their respective houses, to the chairpersons of the appropriate standing committees of their respective houses, as designated by those presiding officers, and to the cochairpersons of the joint committee for review of administrative rules. If a proposed rule is modified after the economic impact analysis is submitted under this subsection so that the economic impact of the proposed rule is significantly changed, the agency shall prepare a revised economic impact analysis for the proposed rule as modified. A revised economic impact analysis shall be prepared and submitted in the same manner as an original economic impact analysis is prepared and submitted.

227.137(5) (5) This section does not apply to emergency rules promulgated under s. 227.24.

227.137(6) (6) If an economic impact analysis regarding a proposed rule indicates that a total of $20,000,000 or more in implementation and compliance costs are reasonably expected to be incurred by or passed along to businesses, local governmental units, and individuals as a result of the proposed rule, the department of administration shall review the proposed rule and issue a report. The agency may not submit a proposed rule to the legislature for review under s. 227.19 (2) until the agency receives a copy of the department's report and the approval of the secretary of administration. The report shall include all of the following findings:

227.137(6)(a) (a) That the economic impact analysis is supported by related documentation contained or referenced in the economic impact analysis.

227.137(6)(b) (b) That the agency has statutory authority to promulgate the proposed rule.

227.137(6)(c) (c) That the proposed rule, including any administrative requirements, is consistent with and not duplicative of other state rules or federal regulations.

227.137(6)(d) (d) That the agency has adequately documented the factual data and analytical methodologies that the agency used in support of the proposed rule and the related findings that support the regulatory approach that the agency chose for the proposed rule.

227.137(7) (7) Before issuing a report under sub. (6), the department of administration may return a proposed rule to the agency for further consideration and revision with a written explanation of why the proposed rule is being returned. If the agency head disagrees with the department's reasons for returning the proposed rule, the agency head shall so notify the department in writing. The secretary of administration shall approve the proposed rule when the agency has adequately addressed the issues raised during the department's review of the rule.

History: 2003 a. 118; 2005 a. 249; 2011 a. 21 ss. 7 to 18, 21 to 26; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 166 s. 76; 2015 a. 391.

NOTE: In Coyne v. Walker, 2016 WI 38, the Supreme Court held that provisions of 2011 Wisconsin Act 21 that give to the Governor, and in limited cases, the Secretary of Administration, the power to intervene in the process of drafting and promulgating administrative rules are unconstitutional as applied to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Changing the Rules on Rulemaking. Sklansky. Wis. Law. Aug. 2011.

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