Members of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) took the unusual step of recommending that the Ohio Department of Agriculture revise and refile an administrative rule package addressing the Lake Erie watershed. JCARR is a lesser-known committee of the General Assembly that is tasked with reviewing rules proposed by executive agencies. Although rarely exercised, the committee has the power to recommend that the Ohio General Assembly invalidate rules proposed by state agencies should the proposed rule be found to violate specific conditions such as legislative intent or agency authority or if the rule fails to meet certain other standards related to administrative actions or the common sense initiative.
The measures were adopted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture following an executive order by Governor Kasich in July and dealt with standards for farm runoff in the Lake Erie watershed. The measure generally garnered support from conservation and environmental groups with agricultural organizations expressing concerns that the rules exceeded agency authority, would not have the intended beneficial intent, and could not reasonably be complied with.