Guidance Documents

1. Guidance Documents November 2011 Brought to you by: Department of Planning and Budget

2. ROAD MAP • What is a guidance document? • EO Requirement for uploading guidance docs • Where you can find guidance documents on Town Hall • The ideal guidance document submission • How to upload/edit/delete guidance documents • How to prepare your filing for the Registrar

3. What is a guidance document? Section 2.2-4001 of the Code of Virginia says that: "Guidance document" means any document developed by a state agency or staff that provides information or guidance of general applicability to the staff or public to interpret or implement statutes or the agency's rules or regulations...

4. As distinguished from a regulation

5. Not a guidance document • Meeting agendas or minutes • Documents that pertain only to the internal management of agencies • Court opinions regarding regulations

6. Examples of guidance documents • Policy directives • Agency program initiatives • Interpretive statements construing the law • Technical protocols • Others

7. Executive Order 14 (2010) requirement regarding guidance documents • Agencies shall make all guidance documents, as defined by Section 2.2-4001 of the Code of Virginia, available to the public on the Town Hall. • Any guidance document currently available in electronic format shall be posted on the Town Hall. • Any changes to a guidance document shall be reflected on the Town Hall within 10 days of the change.

8. Why emphasize this requirement now? • Makes sense given the development of the Town Hall and the time agencies have had to adjust to requirement that guidance documents be uploaded on the Town Hall. • Registrar requires a complete list of guidance documents from every agency and has begun to provide links to the guidance docs themselves on the Registrar website. These links go to the Town Hall. • Given Code and EO requirements, it seems logical for Town Hall to submit list of guidance docs for agencies. It is more efficient for agencies and Registrar to operate in this manner. • Overall desire for Town Hall to display complete and accurate information.

9. How to find guidance docs on Town Hall • On tool bar (Note Filter Options) • Search box (input word in title of guidance doc) • By agency • By board • By chapter

10. Tool: Filter

11. Filter Options

12. The ideal guidance document submission

13. “Ideal” recap • Title is concise & clear • Summary is concise & clear • Includes relevant citation(s) to Code of VA • Link is to guidance document itself • Guidance document itself lists date last revised • Applicability is tailored to precise reg(s) • Recently reviewed/updated

14. How to upload/edit/delete guidance documents http://townhall.virginia.gov/um/guidancedocuments.cfm

15. Guidance Doc Files • Can be Word file (still must be .doc for the time being) • Can be PDF files

16. Annual filing with the Registrar’s office Pursuant to the Sections 2.2-4008 and 2.2-4103 of the Code of Virginia, your agency must file annually a list of guidance documents with the Registrar’s office.

17. Town Hall Report: Guidance Docs

18. Submission of Guidance Document List to Registrar • No later than December 31, 2011, all of your agency's guidance documents (which are available in an electronic format) must be uploaded on the Town Hall website. • On or about this date, Town Hall will automatically send a list of your agency’s guidance documents to the Registrar.

19. An entry for each and every guidance document • Make sure all your guidance documents are loaded on the Town Hall. Note: Where an electronic version of the guidance document is not yet available, instead of uploading the guidance document on the Town Hall, please upload a Word document that lists the name and contact information for the person at your agency who may be contacted in order to obtain a copy. • Ensure that the most recent version of each guidance document has been uploaded on the Town Hall. • Check your list of guidance documents against your list of guidance documents on the Registrar’s website to ensure your list is complete.

20. Intro Paragraph: Step by step From the agency functions drop down list, choose “My Agency Boards.” • Click on the "Edit agency" link. • Include the following information (in narrative form) in the text box: • Name, address, and telephone number of the staff person(s) to contact for obtaining copies. • Name, address, and telephone number of the staff person(s) to contact for asking interpretive or implementation questions. • State that (most/all) your guidance documents are available electronically for no charge on the Town Hall. • Location for viewing printed copies of your guidance documents. • Costs associated with obtaining printed copies of these documents from the agency. If there is no charge, so indicate. If the cost varies depending on the document, so indicate. Any other information that you think would be helpful to the public. • Click on the "Save" button. You’re done!

21. Submission to Registrar: Edit Agency

22. Type in introductory paragraph

23. Wish list for Guidance Docs on Town Hall • Allow agencies to more easily notify their interested parties registered on the Town Hall that a new guidance doc has been uploaded or the fact that a guidance doc has been updated. (Right now, must use agency mailing list). • At the chapter level, have only guidance document appear that are associated specifically with that chapter. (Currently, all agency guidance docs show up.) • Allow agency to see their guidance document submission to the Registrar • Add “My Guidance Docs” under list of Agency functions

24. The End