Which statement correctly differentiates statues from regulations?

• A. Regulations are laws; Statutes are rules issued by agencies
• B. Statutes are penalties; Regulations are guidelines
• C. Statutes are opinions; Regulations are case law
• D. Statutes are laws; Regulations are rules issued by agencies, organizations, or employers

Answer: (D)

Statutes are laws enacted by a legislative body, setting the broad requirements and prohibitions that govern behavior. Regulations are the detailed rules issued by administrative agencies to implement those statutes, specifying how the law is applied, who must act, what counts as compliance, and how enforcement works. This distinction matters because statutes create the legal framework, while regulations provide the concrete procedures and standards that carry out that framework. In practice, statutes originate from legislatures; agencies issue regulations to implement them, often through formal rulemaking. The choice that states statutes are laws and regulations are rules issued by agencies (and sometimes organizations or employers) accurately reflects this relationship, whereas the other descriptions mischaracterize the source or nature of statutes and regulations.