Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to ensure that certain rules proposed by the Commissioner of Corrections in Minnesota receive legislative approval before being implemented. It is designed to control and potentially limit the financial impact of new rules on correctional facilities.

Main Provisions

• Legislative Approval Requirement: The Commissioner of Corrections must seek legislative approval for any new or amended rules that incur first-year compliance costs exceeding $25,000 for jails, lockups, or workhouses.
• Cost Determination Process: The commissioner must determine whether the cost of complying with a proposed rule will surpass the $25,000 threshold before finishing the hearing process or before submitting the record to the administrative law judge if there is no public hearing.
• Role of the Administrative Law Judge: An administrative law judge will review and either approve or disapprove the cost assessment made by the commissioner.
• Temporary Exemptions: If the costs are above the set threshold or if the administrative law judge disagrees with the commissioner's initial cost determination, affected facilities can claim a temporary exemption. This exemption remains until the rule receives legislative approval via a new law.

Significant Changes

• Introduces a mechanism where correctional facilities can contest financial burdens imposed by new regulatory measures.
• Shifts some rule-making authority from the Commissioner of Corrections to the legislative assembly, requiring lawmakers to approve rules with significant cost impacts on corrections facilities.

Relevant Terms

• Commissioner of Corrections
• Legislative approval
• Administrative Law Judge
• Jails, lockups, workhouses
• Compliance costs
• Temporary exemption