Bill > SB00522

This bill proposes to amend section 1-2z of the general statutes to establish a legal standard for how courts should evaluate state agency interpretations of ambiguous laws. Specifically, the bill would require courts to give deference to a state agency's interpretation of a statute if that interpretation is deemed reasonable, particularly when the agency has regulatory authority related to that statute. This means that if a state agency provides a reasonable explanation for how it understands an unclear law, and the agency has been granted the power to create regulations for implementing that law, courts should generally accept the agency's interpretation. The bill aims to provide state agencies with more flexibility in applying statutes and recognizes that agencies often have specialized expertise in the specific areas of law they administer. By codifying this "reasonableness" standard, the legislation seeks to clarify the relationship between state agencies, the laws they enforce, and judicial review of their interpretations.

Justice

https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB00522&which_year=2025