Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Bill SB248 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	SB248INTRODUCED
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3	3	SB248
4	4	L56QFYW-1
5	5	By Senators Orr, Butler
6	6	RFD: State Governmental Affairs
7	7	First Read: 18-Mar-25
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12	12	5 L56QFYW-1 03/13/2025 KMS (L)cr 2025-1237
13	13	Page 1
14	14	First Read: 18-Mar-25
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	Under the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act,
17	17	agency rulings in contested cases are required to be
18	18	taken as prima facie just and reasonable by a reviewing
19	19	court on questions of fact and the agency's
20	20	interpretation of laws based on those facts.
21	21	This bill would revise the standard of judicial
22	22	review to provide that a court may consider, not defer,
23	23	to an agency's interpretation of law and to favor a
24	24	reasonable interpretation which limits agency power and
25	25	maximizes individual liberty.
26	26	A BILL
27	27	TO BE ENTITLED
28	28	AN ACT
29	29	Relating to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act;
30	30	to amend Section 41-22-20, Code of Alabama 1975; to revise the
31	31	standard of judicial review of agency rulings.
32	32	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
33	33	Section 1. Section 41-22-20 of the Code of Alabama
34	34	1975, is amended to read as follows:
35	35	"§41-22-20
36	36	(a) A person who has exhausted all administrative
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66	66	(a) A person who has exhausted all administrative
67	67	remedies available within the agency, other than rehearing,
68	68	and who is aggrieved by a final decision in a contested case
69	69	is entitled to judicial review under this chapter. A
70	70	preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or
71	71	ruling is immediately reviewable if review of the final agency
72	72	decision would not provide an adequate remedy.
73	73	(b) All proceedings for review may be instituted by
74	74	filing of notice of appeal or review and a cost bond with the
75	75	agency to cover the reasonable costs of preparing the
76	76	transcript of the proceeding under review, unless waived by
77	77	the agency or the court on a showing of substantial hardship.
78	78	A petition shall be filed either in the Circuit Court of
79	79	Montgomery County or in the circuit court of the county in
80	80	which the agency maintains its headquarters, or unless
81	81	otherwise specifically provided by statute, in the circuit
82	82	court of the county where a party other than an intervenor,
83	83	resides or if a party, other than an intervenor, is a
84	84	corporation, domestic or foreign, having a registered office
85	85	or business office in this state, then in the county of the
86	86	registered office or principal place of business within this
87	87	state.
88	88	(c) The filing of the notice of appeal or the petition
89	89	does not itself stay enforcement of the agency decision. If
90	90	the agency decision has the effect of suspending or revoking a
91	91	license, a stay or supersedeas shall be granted as a matter of
92	92	right upon such conditions as are reasonable, unless the
93	93	reviewing court, upon petition of the agency, determines that
94	94	a stay or supersedeas would constitute a probable danger to
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124	124	a stay or supersedeas would constitute a probable danger to
125	125	the public health, safety, or welfare. In all other cases, the
126	126	agency may grant, or the reviewing court may order, a stay
127	127	upon appropriate terms, but, in any event, the order shall
128	128	specify the conditions upon which the stay or supersedeas is
129	129	granted; provided, however, if the appeal or proceedings for
130	130	review to any reviewing court is from an order of the agency
131	131	increasing or reducing or refusing to increase rates, fares,
132	132	or charges, or any of them, or any schedule or parts of any
133	133	schedule of rates, fares, or charges, the reviewing court
134	134	shall not direct or order a supersedeas or stay of the action
135	135	or order to be reviewed without requiring, as a condition
136	136	precedent to the granting of such the supersedeas, that the
137	137	party applying for supersedeas or stay shall execute and file
138	138	with the clerk of the court a bond as provided for and
139	139	required by statute or law. If the circuit court shall fail
140	140	fails or refuse refuses to grant supersedeas or stay, the
141	141	party seeking such relief may petition the appropriate court
142	142	to which the appeal or review lies to order a supersedeas or
143	143	stay of the action or order of the agency from which review is
144	144	sought. After the required bond shall have has been filed and
145	145	approved by the clerk, such the agency order shall be stayed
146	146	and superseded, and it shall be lawful to charge the rates,
147	147	fares, or charges which have been reduced, refused, or denied
148	148	by the agency order, until the final disposition of the cause.
149	149	The provisions of this This subsection shall apply when
150	150	applicable, anything in Rule 60 of the Alabama Rules of Civil
151	151	Procedure restricting the provisions of this subsection to the
152	152	contrary notwithstanding.
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182	182	contrary notwithstanding.
183	183	(d) The notice of appeal or review shall be filed
184	184	within 30 days after the receipt of the notice of or other
185	185	service of the final decision of the agency upon the
186	186	petitioner or, if a rehearing is requested under Section
187	187	41-22-17, within 30 days after the receipt of the notice of or
188	188	other service of the decision of the agency thereon. The
189	189	petition for judicial review in the circuit court shall be
190	190	filed within 30 days after the filing of the notice of appeal
191	191	or review. Copies of the petition shall be served upon the
192	192	agency and all parties of record. Any person aggrieved who is
193	193	not a party may petition to become a party by filing a motion
194	194	to intervene as provided in Section 41-22-14. Failure to file
195	195	such the petition within the time stated shall operate as a
196	196	waiver of the right of such the person to review under this
197	197	chapter, except that for good cause shown, the judge of the
198	198	reviewing court may extend the time for filing, not to exceed
199	199	an additional 30 days, or, within four months after the
200	200	issuance of the agency order, issue an order permitting a
201	201	review of the agency decision under this chapter
202	202	notwithstanding such the waiver. Any notice required herein in
203	203	this subsection which is mailed by the petitioner, certified
204	204	mail return receipt requested, shall be deemed to have been
205	205	filed as of the date it the notice is postmarked. This section
206	206	shall apply to judicial review from the final order or action
207	207	of all agencies, and amends the judicial review statutes
208	208	relating to all agencies to provide a period of 30 days within
209	209	which to appeal or to institute judicial review.
210	210	(e) If there has been no hearing prior to agency action
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240	240	(e) If there has been no hearing prior to agency action
241	241	and the reviewing court finds that the validity of the action
242	242	depends upon disputed facts, the court shall order the agency
243	243	to conduct a prompt fact-finding proceeding under this chapter
244	244	after having a reasonable opportunity to reconsider its
245	245	determination on the record of the proceedings.
246	246	(f) Unreasonable delay on the part of an agency in
247	247	reaching a final decision shall be justification for any
248	248	person whose rights, duties, or privileges are adversely
249	249	affected by such the delay to seek a court order compelling
250	250	action by the agency.
251	251	(g) Within 30 days after receipt of the notice of
252	252	appeal or within such additional time as the court may allow,
253	253	the agency shall transmit to the reviewing court the original
254	254	or a certified copy of the entire record and transcript of the
255	255	proceedings under review. With the permission of the court,
256	256	the record of the proceedings under review may be shortened by
257	257	stipulation of all parties to the review proceedings. Any
258	258	party found by the reviewing court to have unreasonably
259	259	refused to stipulate to limit the record may be taxed by the
260	260	court for such the additional costs as may be occasioned by
261	261	the refusal. The court may require or permit subsequent
262	262	corrections or additions to the record when deemed desirable.
263	263	(h) The petition for review shall name the agency as
264	264	respondent and shall contain a concise statement of:
265	265	(1) The nature of the agency action which is the
266	266	subject of the petition;
267	267	(2) The particular agency action appealed from;
268	268	(3) The facts and law on which jurisdiction and venue
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298	298	(3) The facts and law on which jurisdiction and venue
299	299	are based;
300	300	(4) The grounds on which relief is sought; and
301	301	(5) The relief sought.
302	302	(i) In proceedings for judicial review of agency action
303	303	in a contested case, except where appeal or judicial review is
304	304	by a trial de novo, a reviewing court shall not itself hear or
305	305	accept any further evidence with respect to those issues of
306	306	fact whose determination was entrusted by law to the agency in
307	307	that contested case proceeding; provided, however, that
308	308	evidence may be introduced in the reviewing court as to fraud
309	309	or misconduct of some person engaged in the administration of
310	310	the agency or procedural irregularities before the agency not
311	311	shown in the record and the affecting order, ruling, or award
312	312	from which review is sought, and proof thereon may be taken in
313	313	the reviewing court. If, before the date set for hearing a
314	314	petition for judicial review of agency action in a contested
315	315	case, it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that
316	316	additional evidence is material and that there were good
317	317	reasons for failure to present it that additional evidence in
318	318	the contested case proceeding before the agency, the court may
319	319	remand to the agency and order that the additional evidence be
320	320	taken before the agency upon conditions determined by the
321	321	court. The agency may modify its findings and decision in the
322	322	case by reason of the additional evidence and shall file that
323	323	evidence and any modification, new findings, or decision with
324	324	the reviewing court and mail copies of the new findings, or
325	325	decision to all parties.
326	326	(j) The review shall be conducted by the court without
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356	356	(j) The review shall be conducted by the court without
357	357	a jury and, except as herein provided, shall in the review of
358	358	contested cases be confined to the record and the additions
359	359	thereto as may be made under subsection (i) of this section .
360	360	Judicial review shall be by trial de novo in the circuit court
361	361	where review is sought from tax assessments, tax
362	362	determinations or tax redeterminations, rulings of the Revenue
363	363	Department of Revenue granting, denying, or revoking licenses,
364	364	or rulings on petitions for tax refunds, or, unless a
365	365	subsequent agency statute provides otherwise, where an agency
366	366	statute existing on the effective date of Act No. 81-855, 1981
367	367	Acts of Alabama, or thereafter enacted provides for a trial de
368	368	novo on appeal to or review by the courts; provided, however,
369	369	in the review of tax assessments, tax determinations, or tax
370	370	redeterminations, rulings of the Revenue Department of Revenue
371	371	granting, denying, or revoking licenses, or rulings on
372	372	petitions for tax refunds, the administrative record and
373	373	transcript shall be transmitted to the reviewing court as
374	374	provided in subsection (g) of this section , and, on motion of
375	375	either party, shall be admitted into evidence in the trial de
376	376	novo, subject to the rights of either party to assign errors,
377	377	objections, or motions to exclude calling attention to any
378	378	testimony or evidence in the administrative record or
379	379	transcript which is deemed objectionable or inadmissible.
380	380	Provided further that, with the consent of all parties,
381	381	judicial review may be on the administrative record and
382	382	transcript. The court, upon request, shall hear oral argument
383	383	and receive written briefs.
384	384	(k) Except where judicial review is by trial de novo,
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414	414	(k) Except where judicial review is by trial de novo,
415	415	the agency order shall be taken as prima facie just and
416	416	reasonable and the court shall not substitute its judgment for
417	417	that of the agency as to the weight of the evidence on
418	418	questions of fact, except where otherwise authorized by
419	419	statute. The court may affirm the agency action or remand the
420	420	case to the agency for taking additional testimony and
421	421	evidence or for further proceedings. The court may reverse or
422	422	modify the decision or grant other appropriate relief from the
423	423	agency action, equitable or legal, including declaratory
424	424	relief, if the court finds that the agency action is due to be
425	425	set aside or modified under standards set forth in appeal or
426	426	review statutes applicable to that agency or if substantial
427	427	rights of the petitioner have been prejudiced because the
428	428	agency action is any one or more of the following:
429	429	(1) In violation of constitutional or statutory
430	430	provisions;.
431	431	(2) In excess of the statutory authority of the
432	432	agency;.
433	433	(3) In violation of any pertinent agency rule ;.
434	434	(4) Made upon unlawful procedure ;.
435	435	(5) Affected by other error of law ;.
436	436	(6) Clearly erroneous in view of the reliable,
437	437	probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record ; or.
438	438	(7) Unreasonable, arbitrary, or capricious, or
439	439	characterized by an abuse of discretion or a clearly
440	440	unwarranted exercise of discretion.
441	441	(l) During the review, when interpreting any statute or
442	442	rule, the court may consider but shall not defer to an
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472	472	rule, the court may consider but shall not defer to an
473	473	agency's interpretation and shall instead interpret its
474	474	meaning and effect de novo. In an action brought by or against
475	475	an agency, after applying all customary tools of
476	476	interpretation, the court shall exercise any remaining doubt
477	477	in favor of a reasonable interpretation which limits agency
478	478	power and maximizes individual liberty.
479	479	(l)(m) Unless the court affirms the decision of the
480	480	agency, the court shall set out in writing, which writing
481	481	shall become a part of the record, the reasons for its
482	482	decision."
483	483	Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
484	484	1, 2025.
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