House Pro-Tem Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) filed legislation on Thursday that would limit boards and agencies' use of emergency rules.
Under the Alabama Administrative Procedures Act, an agency may adopt an emergency rule if the agency finds that an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare requires the adoption of the emergency rule. Pringle’s bill would require the governor to certify the immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare justifies the need for the emergency rule before the rule may become effective.
“I’ve introduced a bill. You can no longer declare an emergency and do this kind of stuff. The governor has to give you a letter declaring the emergency. I’m so sick and tired of these licensure boards and these agencies self-declaring emergencies so they can do whatever they want to do outside the standard procedure project,” Pringle said at a Contract Review meeting on Thursday. “We’re going to stop it. We’re going to make it so the governor has to declare the emergency and then and only then can you enter into emergency contracts and emergency meetings.”
Pringle continued, “What happens is people just don’t do their jobs so they’re constantly declaring emergencies to get around their failure to do their job properly, and we’re going to stop it.”
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