Enabling Legislation is defined as?

• A. The act of giving or enacting laws
• B. The power to make laws via legislation in contrast to court-made laws
• C. A charter granting authority to act
• D. A codified set of administrative procedures

Answer: (B)

Enabling legislation is the statute that creates an agency and authorizes it to act, outlining its powers, duties, and scope to issue regulations. It provides the legal authority for the agency to make rules and enforce them, rather than relying on court-made law. The description that frames enabling legislation as the power to make laws through legislation (as opposed to decisions by courts) best matches this concept, because it highlights the delegated rulemaking authority rooted in the statute. The other options describe broader lawmaking, foundational charters, or internal procedures, none of which precisely capture the authorizing instrument that enables an agency to act and regulate.