H.B. 64, Impact of Administrative Rules on Small Businesses, has passed. Pending the Governor’s signature, the bill goes into effect on July 1, 2007. The bill changes anticipated cost or savings information an agency is asked to provide on the Rule Analysis when it files a proposed rule, change in proposed rule, or emergency rule.
Specifically, beginning July 1, agencies will need to provide anticipated costs or savings to “small businesses”. In addition, agencies will assess anticipated costs or savings to “persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities” instead of “other persons.” This change was made to prevent agencies from having to provide the same information in multiple places on on the Rule Analysis. Agencies will still assess overall business impacts under the “comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses”.
More information about H.B. 64 is available on the Legislature’s web site at http://le.utah.gov/~2007/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0064.htm.