Bill > HB762

This bill proposes a significant change to how Missouri courts interpret statutes and rules created under Chapter 536 of the state's Revised Statutes. Specifically, the bill eliminates the judicial practice known as "agency deference," which historically has allowed courts to defer to government agencies' reasonable interpretations of laws they are responsible for implementing. Under this proposed legislation, courts would be required to independently interpret statutes and rules, rather than automatically accepting an agency's interpretation as reasonable or authoritative. This represents a shift in administrative law that could potentially limit agency discretion and increase judicial oversight of regulatory interpretation. The bill adds a new section (536.005) to Chapter 536, which governs administrative procedures, and mandates that courts must make their own independent determinations about the meaning of statutes and rules, without giving preferential weight to how state departments, agencies, or other entities interpret those laws.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB762&year=2025&code=R