FIRSTREGULARSESSION
HOUSEBILLNO.663
103RDGENERALASSEMBLY
INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVEKEATHLEY.
1881H.01I DANARADEMANMILLER,ChiefClerk
ANACT
Torepealsection536.140,RSMo,andtoenactinlieuthereofonenewsectionrelatingto
judicialreviewofagencydeterminations.
BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows:
SectionA.Section536.140,RSMo,isrepealedandonenewsectionenactedinlieu
2thereof,tobeknownassection536.140,toreadasfollows:
536.140.1.Thecourtshallhearthecasewithoutajuryand,exceptasotherwise
2providedinsubsection4ofthissection,shallhearituponthepetitionandrecordfiledas
3aforesaid.
4 2.Theinquirymayextendtoadeterminationofwhethertheactionoftheagency
5 (1)Isinviolationofconstitutionalprovisions;
6 (2)Isinexcessofthestatutoryauthorityorjurisdictionoftheagency;
7 (3)Isunsupportedbycompetentandsubstantialevidenceuponthewholerecord;
8 (4)Is,foranyotherreason,unauthorizedbylaw;
9 (5)Ismadeuponunlawfulprocedureorwithoutafairtrial;
10 (6)Isarbitrary,capriciousorunreasonable;
11 (7)Involvesanabuseofdiscretion.
12
13Thescopeofjudicialreviewinallcontestedcases,whetherornotsubjecttojudicialreview
14pursuanttosections536.100to536.140,andinallcasesinwhichjudicialreviewofdecisions
15ofadministrativeofficersorbodies,whetherstateorlocal,isnowormayhereafterbe
16providedbylaw,shallinallcasesbeatleastasbroadasthescopeofjudicialreviewprovided
EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis
intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 17forinthissubsection[; provided,however,thatnothinghereincontainedshallinanyway
18changeoraffecttheprovisionsofsections311.690and311.700].
19 3.[Whenevertheactionoftheagencybeingrevieweddoesnotinvolvetheexercise
20bytheagencyofadministrativediscretioninthelightofthefacts,butinvolvesonlythe
21applicationbytheagencyofthelawtothefacts,thecourtmayuponapplicationofanyparty
22conductadenovoreviewoftheagencydecision] Ininterpretingastatestatute,rule,
23regulation,orothersubregulatorydocument,acourtoranofficerhearingan
24administrativeactionshallnotdefertoastateagency'sinterpretationofsuchstatute,
25rule,regulation,orotherdocument,andshallinterpretthemeaningandeffectdenovo.
26Inactionsbroughtbyoragainstastateagency,afterapplyingallcustomarytoolsof
27interpretation,thecourtorhearingofficershallexerciseanyremainingdoubtinfavor
28ofareasonableinterpretationthatlimitsagencypowerandmaximizesindividual
29liberty.
30 4.Whereverunder[subsection3of]thissectionorotherwisethecourtisentitledto
31weightheevidenceanddeterminethefactsforitself,thecourtmayhearandconsider
32additionalevidenceifthecourtfindsthatsuchevidenceintheexerciseofreasonable
33diligencecouldnothavebeenproducedorwasimproperlyexcludedatthehearingbeforethe
34agency.Whereverthecourtisnotentitledtoweightheevidenceanddeterminethefactsfor
35itself,ifthecourtfindsthatthereiscompetentandmaterialevidencewhich,intheexerciseof
36reasonablediligence,couldnothavebeenproducedorwasimproperlyexcludedatthe
37hearingbeforetheagency,thecourtmayremandthecasetotheagencywithdirectionsto
38reconsiderthesameinthelightofsuchevidence.Thecourtmayinanycasehearand
39considerevidenceofallegedirregularitiesinprocedureorofunfairnessbytheagency,not
40shownintherecord.
41 5.Thecourtshallrenderjudgmentaffirming,reversing,ormodifyingtheagency's
42order,andmayorderthereconsiderationofthecaseinthelightofthecourt'sopinionand
43judgment,andmayordertheagencytotakesuchfurtheractionasitmaybepropertorequire;
44butthecourtshallnotsubstituteitsdiscretionfordiscretionlegallyvestedintheagency,
45unlessthecourtdeterminesthattheagencydecisionwasarbitraryorcapricious.
46 6.Appealsmaybetakenfromthejudgmentofthecourtasinothercivilcases.
✔
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