Regulation Information
System (RIS) Instructions for Agency Users
(Updated
on October 29, 2008)
Logging
in to RIS:
1.
In Internet Explorer, go to the VAC searchable database
web page at http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+men+SRR.
Bookmark this as a favorite or create a link in your Explorer toolbar so you
can get to it quickly in the future.
2. At the top right corner, click on "Go" to Log
in.
3. Enter User ID and Password, hit return or click on
"Log In." (Do not bookmark this page.) If you do not have a User ID
and password, print out the form on the RIS web page and fax it as shown on the
form. You will receive an email within a couple of days.
4. On next screen, click "Continue."
5. The list of agencies you are authorized to work on is
shown under "Regulation Information System" at the bottom of the VAC
searchable database home page. (Click on refresh (F5) if your agency name does
not immediately appear at the bottom of the screen.)
6. Click on an agency name.
Downloading
macro:
1. Click on "Tools" in the RIS header. The
macro must be run on each computer you use for RIS, i.e., work, home, laptop,
etc. Users with "read-only access" do not need to download the macro.
2. Select "Click here" to download the
self-extracting executable. It is safe to download the macro. Select Run, Run,
follow the instruction to make sure all Word documents are closed, then select
OK, OK.
3. To see if the RIS toolbar is visible in Word, open any
Word document. If you do not see the toolbar when you open a Word document,
contact Lilli Hausenfluck in the Registrar's Office at 786-3591.
4. The toolbar for RIS can be moved in relation to other toolbars
by dragging the left side of the toolbar.
5. If you have technical issues with the download,
contact the Legislative Automated
Systems helpdesk at 786-9631 for additional information or assistance.
6. The Registrar's Office will notify users when updates
are available.
Make
the change to Control Panel settings:
Follow directions for making the change to your
control panel settings as described on page 6 of these instructions. This
change must be made to each computer you use for RIS, i.e., work, home, laptop,
etc.
Creating
a new project (for a project that does not have a corresponding project in Town
Hall yet):
1. Click on "Project Description Goes Here" and
enter the name of the new project. Keep the name short but with enough
information to differentiate it from other projects (e.g., regional EMS
councils, 2009 fee reduction, continuing education requirements, or Rev. C09).
2. Click on "Create New Project." The project
is given a project number and put at the bottom of the list of projects.
3. To open the project, click on the manila folder icon
next to the project name. Note that on the next screen, the project title can
be changed. Once a project has been linked to Town Hall, keep the names in the
two systems identical.
4. To return to the agency's Projects List page, click on
"Projects" in the header.
5. To return to your list of agencies, click on the Regulation
Information Systems header.
Linking
to Town Hall:
If you start a project on Town Hall, TH will create a
linked project in RIS. If you do not see the action title as a project
description in RIS, check the dropdown list in RIS next to "Create Project
From Town Hall." Choose the appropriate action title and click
"Create Project From Town Hall."
If you start your project in RIS and create a TH
action later, you can link the two by choosing the title from the dropdown menu
in TH when you create the action/stage.
Creating
the structure of the project (selecting those sections that are being amended,
added or repealed):
1. To amend, add or repeal a section or to add a new
chapter, click on "Create Entry."
2. Select an existing chapter from the dropdown menu or
click on "Create New Chapter." If
you select an existing chapter, the corresponding sections appear in a
dropdown list. You can select a chapter to be amended or repealed or click on
"Create New Section" to create a new section.
3. You can select multiple sections to amend or repeal by
holding down the Shift key for consecutive sections or holding down the Control
key for nonconsecutive sections. If you are selecting multiple sections, they
must be sections that will all be amended or all be repealed. Additional
sections to amend or repeal may be added individually or in groups at any time.
4. New sections must be added one at a time and given a
"description," which is the catchline for the new section. The description
must be given at the time a new section is created. You may modify the section
description at a later time if needed. The catchline description is the portion
that will be used for the Table of Contents feature of the online VAC.
5. To create a
new section, skip the Select Existing
Chapter step and go straight to Create New Section. At the next screen, you can
Select Existing Chapter from the dropdown list or choose from the list of new
chapters created in this project. The next available section of the chapter
will appear for the section being added. Verify that it is the section number
you want or change it to reflect the section number you want. Notice that four
digits must be used (e.g., section 20 will be section 0020). Type the catchline
without the ending period and click "Create New Section."
6. Catchlines
of existing sections can also be modified. Existing catchlines should be amended in the content area using
strikes and underscores, but the description should be written as the catchline
will appear when the section becomes effective. For sections being amended, the
section content area catchline and the section description should be identical
when the section becomes effective. The catchline description is the portion
that will be used for the Table of Contents feature of the online VAC. To amend
the description, click on the words of the description. It will open a text
box. Make the changes (without using strikethroughs and underscores) and click
Update. (Leave the catchline text on the Project Details page as is for
sections being repealed. The update system will automatically replace the
catchline with [Repealed] in the VAC table of contents.)
7. To create a
new chapter, click on "Create
New Chapter" and enter the chapter number and title and the first section
number and description/catchline. All additional sections will be added one at
a time. You may create all the sections or a group of sections and go back to
add the content to each one. To see the Project Details page, click on
"Return to Projects Details."
8. To repeal a
chapter and replace it with a new chapter, click on "Create Entry," choose the chapter to be repealed,
click on the first section of the chapter in the section list, hold down the
shift key and scroll down to the last section in the list and click on it
(include the FORMS or DIBR list since they will be repealed with the chapter). Scroll
through the list and deselect any sections that have already been repealed by
holding down the Control button as you click on each one. Select
"Repeal" from the "Select Action" dropdown list and then
click on the "Submit" button. All sections of the chapter to be
repealed will appear as entries in the project. Be careful with this. If you
accidentally leave it as "amend," you'll have to delete (click the
red "x" next to each section) and start over.
9. Next select "Create Entry" and "Create
New Chapter." Verify or change the chapter number and first section number
(both numbers will be in a four-digit format). Enter the new chapter title (in
upper case) and the catchline for the first section (in sentence case), then click
"Add Chapter."
10. Now you will enter each new section individually by entering
the catchline without the ending period, and clicking "Create New Section."
11. To add a
FORMS list or Documents Incorporated by Reference (DIBR) list, select "Create Entry," select "Create
New Section," select the current or new chapter, choose the FORMS or DIBR
designation from the dropdown list and click the box next to the dropdown list.
The appropriate catchline and section number will appear in the description
box. Click on "Create New Section."
Inserting
content into the appropriate sections:
1. After you have created the structure for the
regulatory action, you can amend content with strikethroughs and underscores in
sections being amended, enter the content of each new section that is being
added, and strike through the catchline and section content for sections being
repealed. Begin the process in each case
by clicking on the red "edit" button. This opens a version of
Word with the appropriate macros. Details for each type of action follow.
2. For an amended
section, use strikethroughs and underscores to mark changes. Leave the
format of current tables as is and the Register staff will convert them to
standard tables for the new look of VAC. (The Register staff will assist with
this process as you are working on a project; you do not have to wait until it
is submitted to contact the staff.) Amend the content of sections as usual with
strikethroughs and underscores. Mark changes in a final regulation with
brackets. Use the macro buttons in the RIS template that create the opening and
closing brackets without underlining and with "required spaces" so
brackets will stay with the stricken and new language being modified. Verify
that all paragraphs have correct styles applied. For a listing of styles and
examples, see the VAC Quick Style Sheet on the Register website.
Click the RIS Update button to upload the modified
text to the RIS application. Click on "back" in the upper right hand
corner to go back to the Project Details page. To make additional
modifications, click on "edit" again, make additional changes, and
use the RIS Update button to finish.
If you decide not to keep the changes you made, you
may close the Word window without saving and your text in RIS is not changed.
3. For each new
section, enter the text of the entire section. Fill in the Statutory
Authority portion for the new section. Make sure all text is underlined
including the section number, catchline, and section text. The Statutory Authority
is not underlined. Verify that all paragraphs have correct styles applied. Click
the RIS Update button. Click on "back" in the upper right hand corner
to go back to the Project Details page or click "next" to go to the
next section in the project.
4. For sections
being repealed, use the "(Repealed.)" button in the RIS template
to insert (Repealed.) after the catchline. Leave the section number,
strike the catchline, and strike the text of the section and the Statutory
Authority but do not strike through the Historical Notes. Historical Notes will
remain with the section in VAC after it is repealed.
5. When a part or
article is being inserted as new, include them before the section as they
appear in the Register. By doing this, they will appear correctly in the
Register when published as final.
6. For current
part and article names and numbers that are being amended, make the changes
in the section if that section is being amended. If it is not being amended,
then a message should be included in the Comments feature of the project so the
Registrar's Office can make the appropriate changes for Register publication
and in the online VAC when the action becomes final.
Using
the "Create Report" feature:
1. The Create Report feature allows the user to gather
all requested documents into an html or Word document for review as follows:
a. Select "Sections"
from the dropdown menu and then click on Create Report. This creates a document
with all of the sections in the project rolled into one document for review in
a single-spaced format.
b. Select "Sections
(Double spaced)" and click on Create Report for a document with all of
the sections in the project in a double-spaced format and with the
Certification Statement appended to the end. Print this document as is for hard
copy submission to the Registrar's Office. The statement should be filled out
and signed for Final and Fast-Track regulations and left blank for other
actions.
c. Select "Sections
(Resolved)" and click on Create Report. This creates a document with
all of the sections in the project rolled into one document with the text that
is stricken removed and text that is underscored changed to plain text. This is
how the text will appear when the project becomes final. In essence, this is
the equivalent of "Accept all changes" when using the Track Changes
feature of Microsoft Word.
d. Select "Sections
(With notes)" and click on Create Report. This creates a document with
all of the sections in the project rolled into one document with the Statutory
Authority and Historical Notes appended to each section.
2. Choose the "Open
in Word" link in the top right corner of the page to open a Word
document that can be saved to your hard drive and printed. Format changes like
margins, headers, and page numbers can be made as desired for internal review
or board approval purposes. Remember that any changes made in the Word document
will not be part of the official data fields so desired changes will have to be
made in the individual VAC sections of the RIS project.
Sending
RIS Project Text to Town Hall:
·
You must have
full regulatory coordinator access in RIS or Town Hall to sync regulation text
between the two systems.
·
Text is only
created in RIS and needs to be pulled into Town Hall in order to submit a TH
Action for executive branch review or to the Registrar's Office for publication
in the Virginia Register.
·
To retrieve regulatory
text from an RIS Project into a linked Town Hall Action, go to the Documents
tab for the TH Action for the relevant stage and click on "Sync text with
RIS."
·
This creates a
link to an html document that rolls all sections with Statutory Authority and
Historical Notes into the Action/Stage on Town Hall. The date of each version
is in the Documents tab area for the Action in a dropdown list. The text will
be automatically updated and will display to the public approximately 10 days
prior to publication in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
·
To send
regulatory text from an RIS Project to a linked Town Hall Action, click on the
"Re-sync" button for the particular project on the agency Projects
List page. If the word "Post" appears instead of "Re-sync,"
this means the project is not currently linked with an action on Town Hall.
Adjustments to Internet Explorer when installing the RIS
macro
