If the legislative management's administrative rules committee objects to all or any portion of a rule because the committee deems it to be unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious, or beyond the authority delegated to the adopting agency, the committee may file that objection in certified form with the legislative council. The filed objection must contain a concise statement of the committee's reasons for its action. 1. The legislative council shall attach to each objection a certification of the time and date of its filing and, as soon as possible, shall transmit a copy of the objection and the certification to the agency adopting the rule in question. The legislative council also shall maintain a permanent register of all committee objections. 2. The legislative council shall publish an objection filed pursuant to this section in the next issue of the code supplement. In case of a filed committee objection to a rule subject to the exceptions of the definition of rule in section 28-32-01, the agency shall indicate the existence of that objection adjacent to the rule in any compilation containing that rule. 3. Within fourteen days after the filing of a committee objection to a rule, the adopting agency shall respond in writing to the committee. After receipt of the response, the committee may withdraw or modify its objection. 4. After the filing of a committee objection, the burden of persuasion is upon the agency in any action for judicial review or for enforcement of the rule to establish that the whole or portion thereof objected to is within the procedural and substantive authority delegated to the agency. If the agency fails to meet its burden of persuasion, the court shall declare the whole or portion of the rule objected to invalid and judgment must be rendered against the agency for court costs. These court costs must include a reasonable attorney's fee and must be payable from the appropriation of the agency which adopted the rule in question.
28-32-18. Administrative rules committee may void rule - Grounds - Amendment by agreement of agency and committee. 1. The legislative management's administrative rules committee may find that all or any portion of a rule is void if that rule is initially considered by the committee not later than the fifteenth day of the month before the date of the administrative code supplement in which the rule change is scheduled to appear. The administrative rules committee may find a rule or portion of a rule void if the committee makes the specific finding that, with regard to that rule or portion of a rule, there is: a. An absence of statutory authority. b. An emergency relating to public health, safety, or welfare. c. A failure to comply with express legislative intent or to substantially meet the procedural requirements of this chapter for adoption of the rule. d. A conflict with state law. e. Arbitrariness and capriciousness. f. A failure to make a written record of its consideration of written and oral submissions respecting the rule under section 28-32-11. 2. The administrative rules committee may find a rule void at the meeting at which the rule is initially considered by the committee or may hold consideration of that rule for one subsequent meeting. If no representative of the agency appears before the administrative rules committee when rules are scheduled for committee consideration, those rules are held over for consideration at the next subsequent committee meeting. Rules are not considered initially considered by the committee under this subsection until a representative of the agency appears before the administrative rules committee when the rules are scheduled for committee consideration. If no representative of the agency appears before the administrative rules committee meeting to which rules are held over for consideration, the rules are void if the rules were adopted as emergency rules and for rules not adopted as emergency rules the administrative rules committee may void the rules, allow the rules to become effective, or hold over consideration of the rules to the next subsequent committee meeting. Within three business days after
the administrative rules committee finds that a rule is void, the legislative council shall provide written notice of that finding and the committee's specific finding under subdivisions a through f of subsection 1 to the adopting agency and to the chairman of the legislative management. Within fourteen days after receipt of the notice, the adopting agency may file a petition with the chairman of the legislative management for review by the legislative management of the decision of the administrative rules committee. If the adopting agency does not file a petition for review, the rule becomes void on the fifteenth day after the notice from the legislative council to the adopting agency. If within sixty days after receipt of the petition from the adopting agency the legislative management has not disapproved by motion the finding of the administrative rules committee, the rule is void. 3. An agency may amend or repeal a rule or create a related rule if, after consideration of rules by the administrative rules committee, the agency and committee agree that the rule amendment, repeal, or creation is necessary to address any of the considerations under subsection 1. A rule amended, repealed, or created under this subsection is not subject to the other requirements of this chapter relating to adoption of administrative rules and may be published by the legislative council as amended, repealed, or created. If requested by the agency or any interested party, a rule amended, repealed, or created under this subsection must be reconsidered by the administrative rules committee at a subsequent meeting at which public comment on the agreed rule change must be allowed.