Proposed new rules or amendments to the rules shall be adopted by majority vote of the members of the Interstate Commission in the following manner.

(a) Proposed new rules and amendments to existing rules shall be submitted to the Interstate Commission office for referral to the Rules Committee in the following manner:

1. Any Commissioner may submit a proposed rule or rule amendment for referral to the Rules Committee during the annual Commission meeting. This proposal would be made in the form of a motion and would have to be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Commission members present at the meeting.
2. Standing ICAOS Committees may propose rules or rule amendments by a majority vote of that committee.
3. ICAOS Regions may propose rules or rule amendments by a majority vote of members of that region.

(b) The Rules Committee shall prepare a draft of all proposed rules and provide the draft to all Commissioners for review and comments. All written comments received by the Rules Committee on proposed rules shall be posted on the Commission’s website upon receipt. Based on the comments made by the Commissioners the Rules Committee shall prepare a final draft of the proposed rule(s) or amendments for consideration by the Commission not later than the next annual meeting falling in an odd-numbered year.

(c) Prior to the Commission voting on any proposed rule or amendment, the text of the proposed rule or amendment shall be published by the Rules Committee not later than 30 calendar days prior to the meeting at which vote on the rule is scheduled, on the official web site of the Interstate Commission and in any other official publication that may be designated by the Interstate Commission for the publication of its rules. In addition to the text of the proposed rule or amendment, the reason for the proposed rule shall be provided.

(d) Each proposed rule or amendment shall state—

1. The place, time, and date of the scheduled public hearing;
2. The manner in which interested persons may submit notice to the Interstate Commission of their intention to attend the public hearing and any written comments; and
3. The name, position, physical and electronic mail address, telephone, and telefax number of the person to whom interested persons may respond with notice of their attendance and written comments.

(e) Every public hearing shall be conducted in a manner guaranteeing each person who wishes to comment a fair and reasonable opportunity to comment. No transcript of the public hearing is required, unless a written request for a transcript is made, in which case the person requesting the transcript shall pay for the transcript. A recording may be made in lieu of a transcript under the same terms and conditions as a transcript. This subsection shall not preclude the Interstate Commission from making a transcript or recording of the public hearing if it so chooses.

(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a separate public hearing on each rule. Rules may be grouped for the convenience of the Interstate Commission at public hearings required by this section.

(g) Following the scheduled public hearing date, the Interstate Commission shall consider all written and oral comments received.

(h) The Interstate Commission shall, by majority vote of the commissioners, take final action on the proposed rule or amendment by a vote of yes/no. The Commission shall determine the effective date of the rule, if any, based on the rulemaking record and the full text of the rule.

(i) Not later than 60 calendar days after a rule is adopted, any interested person may file a petition for judicial review of the rule in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia or in the federal district court where the Interstate Commission’s principal office is located. If the court finds that the Interstate Commission’s action is not supported by substantial evidence, as defined in the federal Administrative Procedures Act, in the rulemaking record, the court shall hold the rule unlawful and set it aside. In the event that a petition for judicial review of a rule is filed against the Interstate Commission by a state, the prevailing party shall be awarded all costs of such litigation, including reasonable attorneys’ fees.

(j) Upon determination that an emergency exists, the Interstate Commission may promulgate an emergency rule that shall become effective immediately upon adoption, provided that the usual rulemaking procedures provided in the compact and in this section shall be retroactively applied to the rule as soon as reasonably possible, in no event later than 90 calendar days after the effective date of the rule. An emergency rule is one that must be made effective immediately in order to—

1. Meet an imminent threat to public health, safety, or welfare;
2. Prevent a loss of federal or state funds;
3. Meet a deadline for the promulgation of an administrative rule that is established by federal law or rule; or
4. Protect human health and the environment.

(k) The Chair of the Rules Committee may direct revisions to a rule or amendment adopted by the Commission, for purposes of correcting typographical errors, errors in format or grammatical errors. Public notice of any revisions shall be posted on the official web site of the Interstate Commission and in any other official publication that may be designated by the Interstate Commission for the publication of its rules. For a period of 30 calendar days after posting, the revision is subject to challenge by any commissioner. The revision may be challenged only on grounds that the revision results in a material change to a rule. A challenge shall be made in writing, and delivered to the Executive Director of the Commission, prior to the end of the notice period. If no challenge is made, the revision will take effect without further action. If the revision is challenged, the revision may not take effect without approval of the commission.

History: Adopted November 3, 2003, effective August 1, 2004; amended September 13, 2005, effective September 13, 2005; amended October 4, 2006, effective October 4, 2006; amended September 26, 2007, effective January 1, 2008; amended August 28, 2013, effective March 1, 2014, amended September 11, 2024, effective November 1, 2024