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6.80 RULE AND LAW WAIVER REQUESTS.
    Subdivision 1. Generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a local government
unit may request the state auditor to grant a waiver from one or more administrative rules or a
temporary, limited exemption from enforcement of state procedural laws governing delivery of
services by the local government unit. Two or more local government units may submit a joint
application for a waiver or exemption under this section if they propose to cooperate in providing
a service or program that is subject to the rule or law. Before submitting an application to the state
auditor, the governing body of the local government unit must approve, in concept, the proposed
waiver or exemption at a meeting required to be public under chapter 13D. A local government
unit or two or more units acting jointly may apply for a waiver or exemption on behalf of a
nonprofit organization providing services to clients whose costs are paid by the unit or units. A
waiver or exemption granted to a nonprofit organization under this section applies to services
provided to all the organization's clients.
(b) A school district that is granted a variance from rules of the commissioner of education
under section 122A.163, need not apply for a waiver of those rules under this section. A school
district may not seek a waiver of rules under this section if the commissioner of education
has authority to grant a variance to the rules under section 122A.163. This paragraph does
not preclude a school district from being included in a cooperative effort with another local
government unit under this section.
(c) Before petitioning the state auditor's office for an exemption from an administrative rule,
the petitioner must have requested and been denied such an exemption from the appropriate
agency pursuant to sections 14.055 and 14.056.
    Subd. 2. Application. A local government unit requesting a waiver of a rule or exemption
from enforcement of a law under this section shall present a written application to the state
auditor. The application must include:
(1) the name and address of the entity for whom a waiver of a rule or exemption from
enforcement of a law is being requested;
(2) identification of the service or program at issue;
(3) identification of the administrative rule or the law imposing a procedural requirement
with respect to which the waiver or exemption is sought;
(4) a description of the improved service outcome sought, including an explanation of the
effect of the waiver or exemption in accomplishing that outcome, and why that outcome cannot
be accomplished under established rules or laws;
(5) information on the state auditor's office treatment on similar cases;
(6) the name, address, and telephone number of any person, business, or other government
unit the petitioner knows would be adversely affected by the grant of the petition; and
(7) a signed statement as to the accuracy of the facts presented.
A copy of the application must be provided by the requesting local government unit to the
exclusive representative certified under section 179A.12 to represent employees who provide the
service or program affected by the requested waiver or exemption.
    Subd. 3. Review process. (a) Upon receipt of an application from a local government unit,
the state auditor shall review the application. The state auditor shall dismiss an application if the
application proposes a waiver of rules or exemption from enforcement of laws that would result in
due process violations, violations of federal law or the state or federal constitution, or the loss of
services to people who are entitled to them.
(b) The state auditor shall determine whether a law from which an exemption for
enforcement is sought is a procedural law, specifying how a local government unit is to achieve
an outcome, rather than a substantive law prescribing the outcome or otherwise establishing
policy. For the purposes of this section, "procedural law" does not include a statutory notice
requirement. In making the determination, the state auditor shall consider whether the law
specifies such requirements as:
(1) who must deliver a service;
(2) where the service must be delivered;
(3) to whom and in what form reports regarding the service must be made; and
(4) how long or how often the service must be made available to a given recipient.
(c) If the application requests a waiver of a rule or temporary, limited exemptions from
enforcement of a procedural law over which the Metropolitan Council or a metropolitan agency
has jurisdiction, the state auditor shall also transmit a copy of the application to the council or
applicable metropolitan agency, whichever has jurisdiction, for review and comment. The council
or agency shall report its comments to the board within 60 days of the date the application was
transmitted to the council or agency. The council or agency may point out any resources or
technical assistance it may be able to provide a local government unit submitting a request under
this section.
(d) Within 15 days after receipt of the application, the state auditor shall transmit a copy of it
to the commissioner of each agency having jurisdiction over a rule or law from which a waiver or
exemption is sought. The agency may mail a notice that it has received an application for a waiver
or exemption to all persons who have registered with the agency under section 14.14, subdivision
1a
, identifying the rule or law from which a waiver or exemption is requested. If no agency has
jurisdiction over the rule or law, the state auditor shall transmit a copy of the application to the
attorney general. The agency shall inform the state auditor of its agreement with or objection to
and grounds for objection to the waiver or exemption request within 60 days of the date when
the application was transmitted to it. An agency's failure to do so is considered agreement to the
waiver or exemption. The state auditor shall decide whether to grant a waiver or exemption at the
end of the 60-day response period. Interested persons may submit written comments to the state
auditor on the waiver or exemption request up to the end of the 60-day response period.
(e) If the exclusive representative of the affected employees of the requesting local
government unit objects to the waiver or exemption request it may inform the state auditor of
the objection to and the grounds for the objection to the waiver or exemption request within 60
days of the receipt of the application.
    Subd. 4. Hearing. If a state agency under subdivision 3, paragraph (d), or the exclusive
representative of the affected employees under subdivision 3, paragraph (e), has objected to
a waiver or exemption request, the state auditor's office shall set a date for a hearing on the
applications. The hearing must be conducted informally at a time and place determined by all
parties. Persons representing the local government unit shall present their case for the waiver or
exemption, and persons representing the agency or the exclusive representative of the affected
employees shall explain their objection to it. The state auditor may request additional information
from the local government unit or either objecting party. The state auditor may also request,
either before or at the hearing, information or comments from representatives of business, labor,
local governments, state agencies, consultants, and members of the public. If necessary, the
hearing may be continued for a later date. The state auditor may modify the terms of the waiver or
exemption request in arriving at the agreement required under subdivision 5.
    Subd. 5. Conditions of agreements. (a) In determining whether to grant a petition for
a waiver of a rule or exemption from enforcement of a law, the state auditor should consider
the following factors:
(1) whether there is a true and unique impediment under current law to accomplishing the
goal of the local government unit;
(2) granting the waiver of a rule or exemption from enforcement of law will only change
procedural requirements of a local government unit;
(3) the purpose of any rule or law that is waived is still being met in another manner;
(4) granting the proposed waiver of a rule or exemption from enforcement of a law would
result in a more efficient means of providing government services; and
(5) granting the proposed waiver will not have a significant negative impact on other state
government, local government units, businesses, or citizens.
(b) If the state auditor grants a request for a waiver or exemption, the state auditor and the
local government unit shall enter into an agreement providing for the delivery of the service or
program that is the subject of the application. The agreement must specify desired outcomes, the
reasons why the desired outcomes cannot be met under current laws or rules, and the means of
measurement by which the state auditor will determine whether the outcomes specified in the
agreement have been met. The agreement must specify the duration of the waiver or exemption.
The duration of a waiver from an administrative rule may be for no less than two years and no
more than four years, subject to renewal if both parties agree. An exemption from enforcement
of a law terminates ten days after adjournment of the regular legislative session held during the
calendar year following the year when the exemption is granted, unless the legislature has acted
to extend or make permanent the exemption.
(c) The state auditor must report any grants of waivers or exemptions to the legislature,
including the chairs of the governmental operations and appropriate policy committees in the
house and senate, and the governor within 30 days.
(d) The state auditor may reconsider or renegotiate the agreement if the rule or law affected
by the waiver or exemption is amended or repealed during the term of the original agreement.
A waiver of a rule under this section has the effect of a variance granted by an agency under
section 14.055. A local unit of government that is granted an exemption from enforcement of a
procedural requirement in state law under this section is exempt from that law for the duration of
the exemption. The state auditor may require periodic reports from the local government unit, or
conduct investigations of the service or program.
    Subd. 6. Enforcement. If the state auditor finds that the local government unit is failing to
comply with the terms of the agreement under subdivision 5, the state auditor may rescind the
agreement. Upon the rescission, the local unit of government becomes subject to the rules and
laws covered by the agreement.
    Subd. 7. Access to data. If a local government unit, through a cooperative program under
this section, gains access to data collected, created, received, or maintained by another local
government that is classified as not public, the unit gaining access is governed by the same
restrictions on access to and use of the data as the unit that collected, created, received, or
maintained the data.
History: 2005 c 156 art 2 s 4

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Revisor of Statutes