SECTION 97.500. Petitions to Initiate Rulemaking Proceedings

(a) Petitions to initiate rulemaking proceeding pursuant to Government Code, §2001.021, must be submitted to the Department in writing. A petition must include:

(1) a brief explanation of the proposed rule;

(2) the full text of the proposed rule, and, if the petition is to amend an existing rule, the text of the rule that clearly identifies any words to be added or deleted from the existing text by underlining new language and striking through language to be deleted; and

(3) a concise explanation of the legal authority to adopt the proposed rule, including a specific reference to the particular statute or other authority that authorizes it.

(b) When the Department receives a rulemaking petition, the Department shall review it for compliance with the requirements of subsection (a) of this section. If the petition is determined to comply, the Department shall notify the applicant that the petition has been accepted for filing and will be processed in accordance with Government Code, §2001.021(c). If it is determined the petition does not comply with subsection (a), the Department shall notify the applicant in writing of all deficiencies found and give the petitioner an opportunity to cure them by filing an amended petition. If no amended petition curing the deficiencies is filed with the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th calendar day following the date that the Department mailed a notice of deficiencies to the petitioner, the petition shall be deemed denied for the reasons stated in the deficiency notice without the necessity of further action.

(c) If the petition is accepted for filing, within 60 days of the date that a petition is accepted for filing, the Department must either deny the petition for reasons stated in writing or initiate a rulemaking proceeding.

Source Note: The provisions of this §97.500 adopted to be effective August 3, 2017, 42 TexReg 3744