Opinion ID: 2330662
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Administrative Law

Text: The lower court expressed constitutional concern that the MVA had no power to amend its original VEIP regulations and, as a consequence, all subsequent amendments to the rules were adopted without legislative authority. From this, the appellees urge us to find that all amendments to the original VEIP regulations are void. The procedure for adopting the regulations establishing the VEIP is set forth in §§ 23-202 and 23-207 of the Transportation Article. The MVA was ordered to publish proposed rules and regulations by October 1, 1979 and submit them to the General Assembly for consideration during the 1980 regular session. The proposed regulations were to take effect as provided, together with any amendments approved by joint resolution of the General Assembly. Transportation Article § 23-202(a). It is not alleged that there was failure of compliance with any of the procedures mandated by this section or by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Code (1957, 1982 Repl.Vol.) Article 41, §§ 9 and 244-256A. The MVA's authority to implement, administer and enforce the VEIP is set forth in § 23-207(a) of the Transportation Article. [11] Though none of these provisions explicitly grant authority to the MVA to amend its regulations, we think it implicit that the authority to adopt rules carries with it the power to amend the rules so adopted. In other words, an agency with expressly granted rulemaking power has implied authority to alter, amend and repeal the regulations it has adopted. See 1 Am.Jur.2d Administrative Law § 131 (1962); 73 C.J.S. Public Administrative Law and Procedure § 99 (1983); APA, §§ 244 and 245. Manifestly, to deny an agency the authority to amend its regulations, absent express statutory inhibition, would severely impair its effectiveness, and the legislature could not have intended such an absurd result. Since we do not read the legislation providing for the VEIP to preclude amendment of regulations adopted pursuant to its authority, appellees' likelihood of success on the merits of this argument is insubstantial. We therefore conclude that the granting of the interlocutory injunction in this case constituted an improvident exercise of judicial discretion on the part of the trial judge. INTERLOCUTORY INJUNCTION VACATED; CASE REMANDED TO THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR CARROLL COUNTY FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS; COSTS TO ABIDE THE FINAL RESULT.