In the drafting and promulgating of new regulations and the application and review of existing regulations, agencies shall adhere to the following principles:
- (1) Regulations shall address a compelling public interest.
- (2) The costs of regulations may not outweigh their benefits.
- (3) Regulations shall be written in clear, concise and, when possible, nontechnical language.
- (4) Regulations shall address definable public health, safety or environmental risks.
- (5) If Federal regulations exist, regulations of the Commonwealth may not exceed Federal standards unless justified by a compelling and articulable Pennsylvania interest or required by State law.
- (6) Compliance shall be the goal of all regulations.
- (7) If viable nonregulatory alternatives exist, they shall be preferred over regulations.
- (8) Regulations shall be drafted and promulgated with early and meaningful input from the regulated community.
- (9) Regulations may not hamper the Commonwealth’s ability to compete effectively with other states.
- (10) Agency heads shall be held directly accountable for regulations promulgated by their respective agencies.
Cross References
This section cited in 4 Pa. Code § 1.372 (relating to evaluation of existing regulations); and 4 Pa. Code § 1.377 (relating to continual review of regulations).