WSR 00-22-038

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON


[ Filed October 25, 2000, 1:59 p.m. ]


University of Washington Rule Review Progress Report 2000

(Per EO 97-02)



     1. Accomplishments Resulting from the University of Washington's Regulatory Review and Improvement Program: Since the effective date of Executive Order (EO) 97-02, the University of Washington has first reviewed and then proceeded with rule-making activity for 89% of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) rules that were defined in the university's original rule review plan and schedule created in 1997. The final 11% of rules pending review are now scheduled under the university's ongoing rule review plan. This ongoing process will schedule Title 478 WAC rules for review whenever a WAC chapter has gone without rule-making activity during the previous ten years. Additionally, the University of Washington will continue to implement a complete review of any WAC chapter whenever any specific section within that chapter requires rule-making activity. In this way, the University of Washington will continue to bring all interested parties (i.e., University of Washington faculty, staff, and students; pertinent community members and local governmental bodies; and the general public) to the table for WAC rule review and rule-making discussions.

     Also during this review period, the University of Washington started an internal review of policy and interpretive statements, along with similar administrative information, unlike that of previous reviews. This review looked at the methods for accessing and maintaining the information as well as a review of the content. The results of that review are detailed further in Section 4 of this report.

     2. Total Number of Rule Sections Reviewed, Amended, and Repealed, and the Number of Pages Eliminated in the WAC: Since the effective date of Executive Order 97-02, the University of Washington has:

Reviewed a total of 255 WAC sections.
Amended a total of 80 WAC sections.
Repealed a total of 63 WAC sections.
Not eliminated any pages of the WAC, since 98 new WAC sections were also adopted during this same period.
     3. Percent of Rule Sections Reviewed to Date: The University of Washington reviewed 89% of the rule sections intended for review. The final 11% of the rule sections to be reviewed are now scheduled under the University of Washington's ongoing rule review plan. This ongoing plan seeks to review any Title 478 WAC rules that have not been reviewed or seen rule-making activity during the past ten-year period.

     4. Results of the Review of Policy and Interpretive Statements and Similar Documents: During this past year, the University of Washington took a detailed look at its policy and interpretive statements and similar documents. Heretofore these documents had received equal treatment with institution-wide administrative information and procedures insofar as all materials were published through a small number of central offices primarily in paper format. However, with the university's decision to move more administrative information to its Web site (due to the ease and cost-effectiveness of accessing and maintaining Web information), a total review of all these types of materials was initiated.

     In the case of basic administrative information and procedures, it was found that the university's day-to-day managers of that information could update and manage their materials more effectively on the Web with less central review and often without requiring paper publication. Rapid changes in administrative functions and processes require accurate, up-to-date information, easily provided through the Web, to maintain an informed, efficient University of Washington workforce. Additionally, administrative procedures and information are increasingly being interwoven into the university's administrative systems with Web interfaces for quick interaction between procedures and administrative action.

     Statements of policy and the interpretation of rules and policy, however, continue to require more deliberation and review throughout the university's community with more formal methods of final codification.

     While these basic differences in the scope of review were established between the various types of documents, the University of Washington was nevertheless committed to publishing all of the above types of materials primarily on its Web site and only secondarily through a printed medium. In this way, the University of Washington can link both its policy matter and procedural information on the same topic seamlessly for the user, although the various components of the final version of these Web documents will often see different levels of internal review prior to publication.

     At the time of this report, the review and sorting of responsibility for various types of University of Washington administrative documents continues. More policy statements and procedural information will be successfully linked and appear on the university's Web site in the coming year.

     5. Other Regulatory Reform Factors:

     a. During the past year, the University of Washington received no petitions for adoption, amendment, or repeal of rules under RCW 34.05.330.

     b. University of Washington rules reviewed, created, amended, and repealed under chapter 34.05 RCW have not imposed reporting requirements on businesses.

     6. A Summary of Recommendations Developed for Statutory or Administrative Changes Resulting from Regulatory Review: In order to further the goals of EO 97-02, wherein agencies are encouraged to create and utilize ongoing procedures to review their rules after the mandated rule review of EO 97-02 is complete, it will be critical to continue providing state agencies with access to the expedited adoption process. Unlike the expedited repeal process (per RCW 34.05.354), the current expedited adoption process (per RCW 34.05.356) is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2000.

     The expedited adoption process, unlike full rule making, allows state agencies to quickly update necessary organizational information (such as departmental name changes; phone and fax numbers; e-mail, Web, and building address changes), reflect changes by reference to state and federal law, correct typographical errors, and clarify language without holding costly and time-consuming public hearings that lack substance. The public has a right to expect accurate agency rules, and these small yet critical housekeeping changes can make the difference between rules that function correctly and rules that slowly become outdated while awaiting a substantive change that warrants full rule making.

     Therefore, in keeping with the goals of regulatory reform, the University of Washington recommends passing a permanent expedited adoption process that provides agencies continued access to this timely and cost-cutting tool for maintaining accurate agency rules.

     Following is Agency Results of Regulatory Review As of October 15, 1999 (cumulative totals) with the University of Washington's updated figures for 2000.

[Excerpt Applicable to this Agency From:]


Agency Results of Regulatory Review

As of October 15, 1999

(Cumulative Totals)



Noncabinet Agencies Plan Submitted Progress Reports Submitted WAC Sections Repealed WAC Sections Amended WAC Sections Reviewed Percent of Total WAC Sections Reviewed WAC Pages Eliminated
University of Washington Yes Yes 62 63 66 80 174 255 78 89 0

     Submitted by Rebecca Goodwin Deardorff, Director, Administrative Procedures Office and Rules Coordinator for the University of Washington, October 11, 2000.
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