Alabama § 5-18A-10 - Rules and Regulations; Judicial Review.

§ 5-18A-10. Rules and Regulations; Judicial Review.

(a) The supervisor may promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for the implementation, administration, execution, and enforcement of this chapter.

(b) Prior to adoption, amendment, or repeal of any regulation, the supervisor shall give at least 35 days’ notice of its intended action by filing notice of intended action with the Legislative Reference Service for publication in the Alabama Administrative Monthly. The date of publication in the Alabama Administrative Monthly shall constitute the date of notice. The notice shall include a statement of either the terms or substance of the intended action or a description of the subject and issues involved, shall specify a notice period ending not less than 35 days nor more than 90 days from the date of the notice, during which period interested persons may present their views thereon, and shall specify the place where, and the manner in which interested persons may present their views thereon.

(c) All interested persons shall have a reasonable opportunity to submit data, views, or arguments, orally or in writing. The supervisor shall consider all written and oral submissions respecting the proposed regulation. Upon adoption of a regulation, the supervisor, if conflicting views are submitted on the proposed regulation and if requested in writing to do so by an interested person prior to adoption, shall issue a concise statement of the principal reasons for and against its adoption, incorporating therein its reasons for overruling any considerations urged against its adoption.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary, if the supervisor finds that action is required by or to comply with a federal statute or regulation which requires adoption of a regulation upon fewer than 35 days’ notice and states in writing his or her reasons for that finding, the supervisor may proceed without prior notice or hearing or upon any abbreviated notice and hearing that he or she finds practicable, to adopt an emergency regulation. The regulation shall become effective immediately, unless otherwise stated therein. The regulation may be effective for a period of not longer than 120 days unless within such time the supervisor complies with the procedures set forth in subsections (b) and (c). The adoption of the same or substantially similar regulation following the procedures set forth in subsections (b) and (c) at any time is not limited by the adoption of a regulation following the emergency regulation procedure set forth in this subsection.

(e) A person who has exhausted all administrative remedies available within the department, other than rehearing, and who is aggrieved by the final decision of the supervisor with respect to a regulation, is entitled to judicial review under this chapter. All proceedings for a review shall be instituted by filing of notice of appeal or review and a cost bond with the supervisor to cover the reasonable costs of preparing the transcript of the proceeding under review, unless waived by the supervisor or the court on a showing of substantial hardship. The notice of appeal and cost bond shall be filed within 42 days after the date the supervisor issued the final regulation. The appeal shall be filed pursuant to Title 6. The regulation shall be in effect pending the outcome of any appeal unless the supervisor stays the effective date of regulations.

(f) A licensee acting in reasonable reliance upon any written opinion or regulation promulgated by the supervisor or a decision of an appellate court of this state shall be presumed to have acted in accordance with applicable law, notwithstanding that after such act has occurred, the regulation is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be incorrect or invalid for any reason or the particular judicial decision is reversed or modified.