1. An agency shall issue a regulatory analysis of a proposed rule that complies with subsection 2, paragraph “a”, if, within thirty-two days after the published notice of proposed rule adoption, a written request for the analysis is submitted to the agency by the administrative rules review committee or the administrative rules coordinator. An agency shall issue a regulatory analysis of a proposed rule that complies with subsection 2, paragraph “b”, if the rule would have a substantial impact on small business and if, within thirty-two days after the published notice of proposed rule adoption, a written request for analysis is submitted to the agency by the administrative rules review committee, the administrative rules coordinator, at least twenty-five persons signing that request who each qualify as a small business or by an organization representing at least twenty-five such persons. If a rule has been adopted without prior notice and an opportunity for public participation in reliance upon section 17A.4, subsection 3, the written request for an analysis that complies with subsection 2, paragraph “a” or “b”, may be made within seventy days of publication of the rule.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 17A.4A

  • Agency: means each board, commission, department, officer or other administrative office or unit of the state. See Iowa Code 17A.2
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Internet: means the federated international system that is composed of allied electronic communication networks linked by telecommunication channels, that uses standardized protocols, and that facilitates electronic communication services, including but not limited to use of the world wide web; the transmission of electronic mail or messages; the transfer of files and data or other electronic information; and the transmission of voice, image, and video. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Rule: means each agency statement of general applicability that implements, interprets, or prescribes law or policy, or that describes the organization, procedure, or practice requirements of any agency. See Iowa Code 17A.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. a. Except to the extent that a written request for a regulatory analysis expressly waives one or more of the following, the regulatory analysis must contain all of the following:

 (1) A description of the classes of persons who probably will be affected by the proposed rule, including classes that will bear the costs of the proposed rule and classes that will benefit from the proposed rule.
 (2) A description of the probable quantitative and qualitative impact of the proposed rule, economic or otherwise, upon affected classes of persons, including a description of the nature and amount of all of the different kinds of costs that would be incurred in complying with the proposed rule.
 (3) The probable costs to the agency and to any other agency of the implementation and enforcement of the proposed rule and any anticipated effect on state revenues.
 (4) A comparison of the probable costs and benefits of the proposed rule to the probable costs and benefits of inaction.
 (5) A determination of whether less costly methods or less intrusive methods exist for achieving the purpose of the proposed rule.
 (6) A description of any alternative methods for achieving the purpose of the proposed rule that were seriously considered by the agency and the reasons why they were rejected in favor of the proposed rule.
 b. In the case of a rule that would have a substantial impact on small business, the regulatory analysis must contain a discussion of whether it would be feasible and practicable to do any of the following to reduce the impact of the rule on small business:

 (1) Establish less stringent compliance or reporting requirements in the rule for small business.
 (2) Establish less stringent schedules or deadlines in the rule for compliance or reporting requirements for small business.
 (3) Consolidate or simplify the rule’s compliance or reporting requirements for small business.
 (4) Establish performance standards to replace design or operational standards in the rule for small business.
 (5) Exempt small business from any or all requirements of the rule.
 c. The agency shall reduce the impact of a proposed rule that would have a substantial impact on small business by using a method discussed in paragraph “b” if the agency finds that the method is legal and feasible in meeting the statutory objectives which are the basis of the proposed rule.
 3. Each regulatory analysis must include quantifications of the data to the extent practicable and must take account of both short-term and long-term consequences.
 4. Upon receipt by an agency of a timely request for a regulatory analysis, the agency shall extend the period specified in this chapter for each of the following until at least twenty days after publication in the Iowa administrative bulletin of a concise summary of the regulatory analysis:

 a. The end of the period during which persons may make written submissions on the proposed rule.
 b. The end of the period during which an oral proceeding may be requested.
 c. The date of any required oral proceeding on the proposed rule.
 5. In the case of a rule adopted without prior notice and an opportunity for public participation in reliance upon section 17A.4, subsection 3, the summary must be published within seventy days of the request.
 6. The published summary of the regulatory analysis must also indicate where persons may obtain copies of the full text of the regulatory analysis and where, when, and how persons may present their views on the proposed rule and demand an oral proceeding thereon if one is not already provided. Agencies shall make available to the public, to the maximum extent feasible, the published summary and the full text of the regulatory analysis described in this subsection in an electronic format, including, but not limited to, access to the documents through the internet.
 7. If the agency has made a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements of subsections 1 through 3, the rule may not be invalidated on the ground that the contents of the regulatory analysis are insufficient or inaccurate.
 8. a. For the purpose of this section, “small business” means any entity including but not limited to an individual, partnership, corporation, joint venture, association, or cooperative, to which all of the following apply:

 (1) It is not an affiliate or subsidiary of an entity dominant in its field of operation.
 (2) It has either twenty or fewer full-time equivalent positions or less than one million dollars in annual gross revenues in the preceding fiscal year.
 b. For purposes of this definition, “dominant in its field of operation” means having more than twenty full-time equivalent positions and more than one million dollars in annual gross revenues, and “affiliate or subsidiary of an entity dominant in its field of operation” means an entity which is at least twenty percent owned by an entity dominant in its field of operation, or by partners, officers, directors, majority stockholders, or their equivalent, of an entity dominant in that field of operation.
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