Opinion ID: 1111135
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Mining Commission's unchallenged interpretation has the force and effect of law and is consistent with appointment practices on other boards and commissions.

Text: This Court is charged with the duty to take judicial notice of rules promulgated pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. [24] Rules promulgated by state boards and commissions are presumed to be valid until declared otherwise. [25] Rule 460:1-3-1 has not previously been attacked. Rules and regulations enacted by administrative agencies and boards pursuant to the powers delegated to them have the force and effect of law. [26] Title 45 O.S.Supp. 1995 § 1 sets nothing more than initial appointments. It does not specifically provide for the length of subsequent appointments. This oversight is obvious when looking at the statutes governing the appointment of other boards and commissions. In establishing other boards and commissions, the Legislature has specifically provided that the appointments made subsequent to an initial term in office will result in staggered terms for a specific period. [27] In each of these statutes, the subsequent appointment period is the longest term provided for an initial appointment. Under § 1, that is a seven-year term. Because construing the statute here to provide unequal fixed terms for specific slots on the Commission does not conform with the practice approved by the Legislature for any other board or commission our research has revealed and because it would obviously result in a scheme not intended by the Legislature, we conclude that 45 O.S.Supp. 1995 § 1 [28] contains a lacuna  a gap in the law. [29] The gap is closed by acknowledging the clear language of Rule 460:1-3-1 providing for seven-year staggered terms. This avenue to clarify the statute has the Legislature's ratification  it approved the Mining Commission's interpretative rule, it has given the interpretation weight by its acquiescence in interpretation during the confirmation process, and it has adopted the construction through its failure to change the wording of the statute subsequent to the adoption of Rule 460:1-3-1. [30] We find that pursuant to 45 O.S.Supp. 1995 § 1, appointments made after October 1, 1986, to the Oklahoma Mining Commission were intended to be for seven-year terms.