OAH Rulemaking Activities
The Office of Administrative Hearings encourages the public to be involved in the rulemaking process by attending public hearings and submitting comments on proposed rules. You can find information on current rulemaking activities below or by clicking on the link to the OAH Semi-Annual Rulemaking Agenda.
Disability Accommodation Rule Information Sessions: 4 Years of "Suitable Representatives"
Background: In civil matters (including administrative matters before OAH), you generally don't have a right to an attorney. However, in 2016, three parties successfully petitioned our agency to provide "suitable representatives" for some appellants with disabilities. The three petitioners were an unnamed state resident with disabilities, Disability Rights Washington, and Seattle University Law School's Fred Korematsu Center. The subsequent rule, WAC 10-24-010, went into effect in January 2018.
What's This About: We've prepared a four-year data summary about the implementation of this rule between January 2018 and December 2021. That summary can be found at this link: Executive Summary
Informational Sessions: We held two public information sessions in August and September 2022 to discuss the four-year summary. The PowerPoint presentation from those sessions can be found at this link: Informational Session PowerPoint. Updates regarding rules can be found on our Rulemaking calendar.
Current rulemaking activities for the first half of calendar year 2023 are outlined in the Rulemaking Calendar.
If you have questions, please contact the Agency Rules Coordinator, Barb Cleveland, at 360-407-2700 or at rulemaking@oah.wa.gov.