Source: http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=5364
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 00:15:54+00:00

Document:
Title of Regulation: 1VAC42-5. Public Partipation Guidelines (adding 1VAC42-5-10 through 1VAC42-5-110).
Statutory Authority: § 2.2-4007.02 of the Code of Virginia.
Public Comment Deadline: January 14, 2016.
Effective Date: January 29, 2016.
Agency Contact: Julie C. Grimes, Communications Coordinator, Office of the State Inspector General, 101 North 14th Street, 7th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219, telephone (804) 625-3276, FAX (804) 371-0165, or email julie.grimes@osig.virginia.gov.
Basis: The legal basis for the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) to promulgate its initial public participation guidelines is § 2.2-4007.02 of the Code of Virginia. OSIG is required to promulgate regulations under § 2.2-3014 of the Code of Virginia for the proper administration of the Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Reward Fund. OSIG is also authorized to adopt, promulgate, amend, and rescind regulations related to carrying out its statutory duties by §§ 2.2-307 through 2.2-322 of the Code of Virginia.
Purpose: The purpose of adopting and promulgating the initial public participation guidelines is to ensure the regulatory review process used by OSIG with regard to the regulations it adopts, promulgates, amends, or rescinds is generally consistent with the rulemaking process used by other Virginia rulemaking bodies.
Rationale for Using Fast-Track Process: The promulgation of this regulation should be noncontroversial because OSIG is merely adopting the model public participation guidelines developed by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.
Substance: OSIG is adopting its initial public participation guidelines because it is responsible for promulgating regulations for the administration of the Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Reward Fund. The regulations may be subject to periodic regulatory review, thus necessitating the need to adopt initial public participation guidelines, which are based upon the model public participation guidelines issued by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. The public participation guidelines exist to promote public involvement in the development, amendment, or repeal of an agency's regulations. Under § 2.2-4007.02 of the Code of Virginia, rulemaking bodies are required to adopt public participation guidelines and to use these guidelines in the development of their regulations. Adoption of public participation guidelines will ensure OSIG's rulemaking process is consistent with the process used by other Virginia rulemaking bodies. There are no substantive provisions or changes to the model public participation guidelines offered to executive agencies by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.
Issues: The primary advantage of this regulation is that OSIG will have in place public participation guidelines consistent with the Governor's executive agencies that will guide future regulatory action by OSIG. There are no disadvantages to taking this action.
Summary of the Proposed Amendments to Regulation. The Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) proposes to adopt model public participation guidelines as mandated in Chapter 321 of the 2008 Acts of Assembly.
Estimated Economic Impact. Pursuant to Chapter 321 of the 2008 Acts of Assembly, the Department of Planning and Budget, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, (i) developed model public participation guidelines (PPGs) and (ii) provided these model PPGs to each agency that has the authority to promulgate regulations. Chapter 321 required that, by December 1, 2008, state agencies either (a) adopt these model public participation guidelines as an exempt action or (b) if significant additions or changes are proposed, promulgate the model public participation guidelines with the proposed changes as fast-track regulations pursuant to Code of Virginia section § 2.2-4012.1. Pursuant to Chapter 321, model PPGs promulgated by agencies after January 1, 2009, are subject to the normal requirements of the Administrative Process Act.
Pursuant to 2011 Acts of Assembly, Chapter 871, effective July 1, 2012, OSIG is authorized to promulgate regulations regarding the performance of its statutory duties regarding the proper administration of the Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Reward Fund including eligibility requirements and procedures for filing a claim. Thus, OSIG now proposes to promulgate the model PPGs as a fast-track action for development of its future regulations.
The purposes of the model PPG legislation are threefold: first, to ensure that each agency or board has a current set of PPGs in place.1 Second, to ensure that each agency's or board's PPGs incorporate the use of technology such as the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall, email to the extent possible, and the use of electronic mailing lists. Last, but perhaps most importantly, to have uniform guidelines in place to facilitate citizen participation in rulemaking and to make those guidelines consistent, to the extent possible, among all executive branch boards and agencies. For all of these reasons, citizens who are interested in participating in the OSIG's rulemaking process will benefit from the promulgation of these PPGs.
Businesses and Entities Affected. While OSIG has a broad client base, these PPGs are proposed for development of Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Reward Fund regulations, the only regulations OSIG foresees at this time it will develop. Thus, citizens who are interested in participating in the OSIG's rulemaking process for the fund may be affected. Although there is no information on who may be interested in OSIG's rulemaking process, between July 1, 2012, and September 30, 2015, OSIG received 4,386 hotline calls, of which 1,971 were assigned for investigation.
Projected Impact on Employment. The proposed amendments do not directly affect employment.
Effects on the Use and Value of Private Property. The proposed amendments do not directly affect the use and value of private property.
Real Estate Development Costs. The proposed amendments do not directly affect real estate development costs.
Costs and Other Effects. The proposed amendments do not directly affect small businesses.
Businesses: The proposed amendments do not adversely affect non-small businesses.
Localities: The proposed amendments do not adversely affect localities.
Other Entities: The proposed amendments do not adversely affect other entities.
1Some agencies and boards have not updated their PPGs since the mid-late 1980's.
Agency's Response to Economic Impact Analysis: The Office of the State Inspector General concurs with the findings of the Department of Planning and Budget's economic impact analysis.
The regulations are based on model public participation guidelines issued by the Department of Planning and Budget pursuant to Chapter 321 of the 2008 Acts of Assembly. Public participation guidelines exist to promote public involvement in the development, amendment, or repeal of an agency's regulations. The public participation guidelines include (i) providing for the establishment and maintenance of notification lists of interested persons and specifying the information to be sent to such persons; (ii) providing for public comments on regulatory actions; (iii) establishing the time period during which public comments shall be accepted; (iv) providing that the plan to hold a public meeting shall be indicated in any notice of intended regulatory action; (v) providing for the appointment, when necessary, of regulatory advisory panels to provide professional specialization or technical assistance and negotiated rulemaking panels if a regulatory action is expected to be controversial; and (vi) providing for the periodic review of regulations.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote public involvement in the development, amendment, or repeal of the regulations of the Office of the State Inspector General. This chapter does not apply to regulations, guidelines, or other documents exempted or excluded from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq. of the Code of Virginia).
"Agency" means the Office of the State Inspector General, which is the unit of state government empowered by the agency's basic law to make regulations or decide cases. Actions specified in this chapter may be fulfilled by state employees as delegated by the agency.
"Commonwealth Calendar" means the electronic calendar for official government meetings open to the public as required by § 2.2-3707 C of the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia).
"Town Hall" means the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall, the website operated by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget at www.townhall.virginia.gov that has online public comment forums and displays information about regulatory meetings and regulatory actions under consideration in Virginia and sends this information to registered public users.
"Virginia Register" means the Virginia Register of Regulations, the publication that provides official legal notice of new, amended, and repealed regulations of state agencies, which is published under the provisions of Article 6 (§ 2.2-4031 et seq.) of the Administrative Process Act.
1VAC42-5-40. Information to be sent to persons on the notification list.
2. A notice of the comment period on a proposed or a reproposed regulation and hyperlinks to, or instructions on how to obtain, a copy of the regulation and any supporting documents.
A. In considering any nonemergency, nonexempt regulatory action, the agency shall afford interested persons an opportunity to (i) submit data, views, and arguments, either orally or in writing, to the agency, and (ii) be accompanied by and represented by counsel or other representative. Such opportunity to comment shall include an online public comment forum on the Town Hall.
1VAC42-5-70. Appointment of regulatory advisory panel.
A. The agency may appoint a RAP to provide professional specialization or technical assistance when the agency determines that such expertise is necessary to address a specific regulatory issue or action or when individuals indicate an interest in working with the agency on a specific regulatory issue or action.
1VAC42-5-80. Appointment of negotiated rulemaking panel.
A. The agency may appoint an NRP if a regulatory action is expected to be controversial.
Notice of any open meeting, including meetings of a RAP or an NRP, shall be posted on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall and Commonwealth Calendar at least seven working days prior to the date of the meeting. The exception to this requirement is any meeting held in accordance with § 2.2-3707 D of the Code of Virginia allowing for contemporaneous notice to be provided to participants and the public.
1VAC42-5-100. Public hearings on regulations.
1VAC42-5-110. Periodic review of regulations.
VA.R. Doc. No. R16-4535; Filed November 13, 2015, 5:07 p.m.

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