Agenda Date: October 22, 1997
Item Number:  4A

Docket:   A-970591
   
Company Names: Administrative - General

Amendment of the Commission's procedural and organizational rules in Chapters 
480-04 WAC (Public Access to Information and Records), and 480-11 WAC (SEPA); 
repeal of Chapter 480-35 WAC (Limousine charter party carriers); Chapter 480-69 
WAC (Railroad companies - Track scales) and Chapter 480-150 WAC (Compliance 
with Economic Stabilization Act of 1970)
   

Staff:   Bob Wallis, Review Judge
   Jeffrey Showman, Policy Analyst
   Joe Hamill, Administrative Intern

Recommendation:

File notices of proposed rulemaking (CR-102) in (1) Docket A-970591 to amend 
the Commission’s procedural and organizational rules in Chapters 480-04 WAC 
(Public Access to Information and Records and 480-11 WAC (SEPA) and (2) to 
repeal Chapter 480-35 WAC (Limousine charter party carriers); Chapter 480-69 
WAC (Railroad companies - Track scales) and Chapter 480-150 WAC (Compliance 
with Economic Stabilization Act of 1970)

Discussion:

The Commission periodically reviews its procedural rules in Chapters 480-04 
(Public Access to Information and Records) and 480-11 (SEPA) of the Washington 
Administrative Code.  In addition, Executive Order 97-02 requires agencies to 
review significant rules against specified standards.  Under WSR No.  
97-17-047, the Commission called for comments on those chapters under the 
standards identified in the Executive Order:  the rules’ Need; Effectiveness 
and Efficiency; Clarity; Intent and Statutory Authority; Coordination; Cost; 
and Fairness.

In addition, the Commission identified chapters 480-35 WAC (Limousine charter 
party carriers); 480-69 WAC (Railroad companies - Track scales) and 480-150 WAC 
(Compliance with Economic Stabilization Act of 1970) as provisions no longer 
needed, and under WSR 97-17-046, called for comments on their possible repeal.  

Notice of the possible actions was published in the Washington State Register, 
as 
Docket A-970591
October 22, 1997
Page 1

noted, and was circulated to a broad spectrum of Commission constituencies.  

The Commission received no comments at all regarding the possible amendments or 
the possible repeal.  

Commission Staff has proposed editorial changes to the procedural and 
administrative rules in Chapters 480-04 and 480-11, which are intended to 
improve readability of the chapters, consistent with the terms of the Executive 
Order, without changing their meaning.  Staff recommends that those be proposed 
for amendment.

The remaining three chapters relate to programs that are no longer administered 
by the Commission.  Commission Staff therefore recommends proposing repeal of 
those chapters.