State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Vermont > Title-03 > Chapter-25 > 844
§ 844. Emergency rules
(a) Where an agency believes that there exists an imminent peril to public health, safety or welfare, it may adopt an emergency rule. The rule may be adopted without having been prefiled or filed in proposed or final proposed form, and may be adopted after whatever notice and hearing that the agency finds to be practicable under the circumstances. The agency shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that emergency rules are known to persons who may be affected by them.
(b) Emergency rules adopted under this section shall not remain in effect for more than 120 days. An agency may propose a permanent rule on the same subject at the same time that it adopts an emergency rule.
(c) Emergency rules adopted under this section shall be filed with the secretary of state and with the legislative committee on administrative rules. The legislative committee on administrative rules shall distribute copies of emergency rules to the appropriate standing committees.
(d) Emergency rules adopted under this section shall include:
(1) as much of the information required for the filing of a proposed rule as is practicable under the circumstances; and
(2) a signed and dated statement by the adopting authority explaining the nature of the imminent peril to the public health, safety or welfare and approving of the contents of the rules.
(e) On a majority vote of the entire committee, the committee may object under this subsection if an emergency rule is:
(1) beyond the authority of the agency;
(2) contrary to the intent of the legislature;
(3) arbitrary; or
(4) not necessitated by an imminent peril to public health, safety or welfare sufficient to justify adoption of an emergency rule.
When objection is made under this subsection, on majority vote of the entire committee, the committee may file the objection in certified form with the secretary of state. The objection shall contain a concise statement of the committee's reasons for its action. The secretary shall affix to each objection a certification of its filing and as soon as practicable transmit a copy to the agency. After a committee objection is filed with the secretary under this subsection, to the extent that the objection covers a rule or portion of a rule, the burden of proof thereafter shall be on the agency in any action for judicial review or for enforcement of the rule to establish that the part objected to is within the authority delegated to the agency, is consistent with the intent of the legislature, is not arbitrary and is justified by an imminent peril to the public health, safety or welfare. If the agency fails to meet its burden of proof, the court shall declare the whole or portion of the rule objected to invalid. The failure of the committee to object to a rule is not an implied legislative authorization of its substantive or procedural lawfulness. (Added 1981, No. 82, § 6; amended 1995, No. 61, § 2.)
