State Rep. Doug Wozniak today secured House approval of his plan to restore legislative authority over state agency rulemaking.

The plan would replace the legislature’s current Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) with a new Regulatory Oversight and Administrative Review (ROAR) committee, giving lawmakers meaningful authority to review and act on proposed agency rules before they take effect.

“Michigan’s current system allows state agencies to use the rulemaking process to implement rules and regulations that effectively carry the force of law without legislative approval,” said Wozniak (R-Shelby Township). “While JCAR can review proposed rules, it lacks the authority to stop bad ones from taking effect. My plan changes that by restoring legislative authority over the state agency rulemaking process and ensuring unelected bureaucrats cannot effectively make law without legislative approval.”

Another component of the plan addresses how courts respond when agency rules are challenged by the legislature. Under the Chevron deference doctrine, courts are required to defer to an agency’s interpretation of ambiguous statutes, even if the court would have interpreted the statute differently. Wozniak’s plan prohibits this practice and requires courts to exercise independent judgment when determining whether an agency acted within its statutory authority.

“State agencies exist to carry out the law, not create it,” Wozniak said. “These reforms place a critical check on regulatory overreach and reinforce the proper separation of powers.”

House Bills 5815-5818 now advance to the Senate for consideration.