House Bill 361, APA Rules Review Definitions, clarifies that state agencies cannot enforce policies unless they have been approved through the defined rules making process. Civitas Action believes the vote for freedom is a vote YES on HB361.

State agencies currently have the authority under state laws to make rules that help them enforce the law. Those rules are subject to a defined rulemaking process. However, agencies sometimes treat interpretative documents, memos, or guidelines as though they carry the weight of the rule itself. Commonly known as “regulatory dark matter,” these policies circumvent the rulemaking process and open the door to over-regulation and inflated bureaucracy.

This bill combats regulatory dark matter by clarifying that no policy can be enforced as a rule unless it is approved as a rule through the rulemaking process. This safeguards individual liberty and protects from government overreach. For that reason, Civitas Action believes the vote to defend freedom is a vote YES on HB361.

Civitas Action will grade the Second Reading floor vote on this legislation in the House or Senate.

Civitas Action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit that educates and informs North Carolinians on policy issues and the actions of their elected officials.