17A.6  Publications — procedures for standards adopted by reference.
  1.  For purposes of subsections 3 through 6, unless the context otherwise requires:
  a.  “Adopt by reference” or “adoption by reference” means incorporating the text of a cited publication, or a part thereof, into a rule without including the text of the publication in the rule.
  b.  “Publication” does not include the Iowa Code, Iowa Acts, Iowa administrative code, Iowa court rules, or uniform rules on agency procedure.
  2.  The administrative code editor shall publish the Iowa administrative bulletin and the Iowa administrative code as provided in section 2B.5A.
  3.  An agency that adopts standards by reference to another publication shall deliver a printed copy of the publication, or the relevant part of the publication, containing the standards to the administrative code editor who shall deposit the copy in the state law library which shall make it available for inspection and reference. The agency may instead deposit a printed copy of the publication, or the relevant part of the publication, in the state law library directly. This subsection does not apply to a publication that is a federal statute or regulation.
  4.  In lieu of the procedures established in subsection 3, an agency may establish alternative procedures providing for public access to an electronic or printed copy of a publication containing standards adopted by reference if the publication is proprietary or contains proprietary information.
  5.  An agency that adopts standards by reference to another publication or a part thereof shall include as part of the reference a date certain, edition or amendment number, or other information identifying the specific version of the publication or the specific point in time from which the text of the publication can be determined. The adoption of standards by reference to another publication or a part thereof shall not include adoption of any amendment, edition, or version of the publication subsequent to the effective date of the adoption. 
  6.  An agency shall include in the preamble to each rule submitted pursuant to section 17A.4 or 17A.5 that adopts standards by reference to another publication or part thereof a brief explanation of the content of the publication or part. If such a rule updates a reference to a publication previously adopted by reference, the agency shall include in the preamble a brief explanation of any significant changes in the content of the publication or part.
[C54, 58, 62, 66, §14.3, 17A.9; C71, 73, §14.6(5); C75, 77, 79, 81, §17A.6]
88 Acts, ch 1158, §2; 89 Acts, ch 296, §4; 90 Acts, ch 1266, §34; 91 Acts, ch 42, §2, 3; 91 Acts, ch 258, §20; 95 Acts, ch 14, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1099, §9, 10; 2003 Acts, ch 35, §28, 29, 49; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §141; 2006 Acts, ch 1011, §4; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §201; 2010 Acts, ch 1031, §53; 2020 Acts, ch 1090, §5; 2023 Acts, ch 70, §8, 14
Referred to in §2B.5A, 8A.206, 10A.506, 89.5, 89A.3, 505.35
State publications; see §8A.205
2023 amendments effective January 1, 2024; 2023 Acts, ch 70, §14
Section amended