(a) General. This part applies to the Board's review, under 5 U.S.C. 1204(a)(4) and 1204(f), of any rules or regulations (“regulations”) issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). It applies to the Board's review of the way in which an agency implements regulations, as well as to its review of the validity of the regulations on their face.

(b) Application of 5 CFR part 1201, subparts B and C. (1) Where appropriate, and unless the Board's regulations provide otherwise, the Board may apply the provisions of 5 CFR part 1201, subpart B to proceedings conducted under this part. It may do so on its own motion or on the motion of a party to these proceedings.

(2) The following provisions of 5 CFR part 1201, subparts B and C do not apply to proceedings conducted under this part:

(i) Sections 1201.21 through 1201.27 which concern petitions for appeal of agency actions, and the pleadings that are filed in connection with those petitions; and

(ii) Sections 1201.111 through 1201.119 which concern final decisions of presiding officials, and petitions for Board review of those decisions.

(a) Invalid regulation means a regulation that has been issued by OPM, and that, on its face, would require an employee to commit a prohibited personnel practice if any agency implemented the regulation.

(b) Invalidly implemented regulation means a regulation, issued by OPM, whose implementation by an agency has required an employee to commit a prohibited personnel practice. A valid regulation may be invalidly implemented.

(c) Merit system principles are the principles stated in 5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(1) through 2301(b)(9).

(d) Pleadings are written submissions containing claims, allegations, arguments, or evidence. They include briefs, motions, requests for regulation review, responses, replies, and attachments that are submitted in connection with proceedings under this part.

(e) Prohibited personnel practices are the impermissible actions described in 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1) through 2302(b)(12).

(f) Regulation review means the procedure under which the Board, under 5 U.S.C. 1204(f), reviews regulations issued by OPM on their face, or reviews those regulations as they have been implemented, or both, in order to determine whether the regulations require any employee to commit a prohibited personnel practice.

(g) Request for regulation review means a request that the Board review a regulation issued by OPM.

(a) An interested person or the Special Counsel may submit a request for regulation review.

(b) Contents of request. (1) Each request for regulation review must include the following information:

(i) The name, address, and signature of the requester's representative or, if the requester has no representative, of the requester;

(ii) A citation identifying the regulation being challenged;

(iii) A statement (along with any relevant documents) describing in detail the reasons why the regulation would require an employee to commit a prohibited personnel practice; or the reasons why the implementation of the regulation requires an employee to commit a prohibited personnel practice;

(iv) Specific identification of the prohibited personnel practice at issue; and

(v) A description of the action the requester would like the Board to take.

(2) If the prohibited personnel practice at issue is one prohibited by 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(12), the request must include the following additional information:

(i) Identification of the law or regulation that allegedly would be or has been violated, and how it would be or has been violated; and

(ii) Identification of the merit system principles at issue and an explanation of the way in which the law or regulation at issue implements or directly concerns those principles.

(a) The Board, in its sole discretion, may grant or deny an interested person's request for regulation review. It will grant a request for regulation review that the Special Counsel submits. It will not, however, review a regulation before its effective date.

(b) If the Board grants a request, it will review the regulation to determine whether any provision, whether on its face or as implemented by the agency, would require any employee to violate 5 U.S.C. 2302(b).

(a) How to file. A request for regulation review must be filed with the Office of the Clerk, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 1615 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20419. In addition, parties to a proceeding under this part must serve their pleadings on each other in accordance with § 1203.14 of this part. The Office of the Clerk will make all pleadings available for review by the public, including by posting the pleadings to the Board's website.

(b) Time limits. (1) A request for regulation review may be filed any time after the effective date of the regulation.

(2) A response to a request for regulation review, whether the response supports or opposes the request, must be filed within the time period provided in the Board order granting the request for review.

(3) A reply to a response may be filed within 10 days after the response is filed. The reply may address only those matters raised in the response that were not addressed in the request for regulation review.

(4) Motions may be filed at any time during the regulation review. The filing of a motion will not delay the acting of the Board unless the Board orders a postponement. The Board may rule immediately on a motion for an extension of time or a continuance if circumstances make consideration of others' views regarding the motion impracticable.

(5) Submissions opposing motions must be filed within five days after the opposing party receives the motion.

(c) Additional pleadings. The Board will consider pleadings in addition to those mentioned above only if the Board requests them, or if it grants a request that it consider them.

(d) Method and date of filing. An initial filing in a request for review and other pleadings may be filed with the Office of the Clerk by mail, by commercial or personal delivery, by facsimile, or by e-filing in accordance with § 1201.14 of this chapter. If the document was submitted by certified mail, it is considered to have been filed on the mailing date. If it was submitted by regular mail, it is presumed to have been filed five days before the Office of the Clerk receives it, in the absence of evidence contradicting that presumption. If it was delivered personally, it is considered to have been filed on the date the Office of the Clerk receives it. If it was submitted by facsimile, the date of the facsimile is considered to be the filing date. If it was submitted by commercial delivery, the date of filing is the date it was delivered to the commercial delivery service. If it was submitted by e-filing, it is considered to have been filed on the date of electronic submission.

(e) Extensions of time. The Board will grant a request for extension of time only when good cause is shown.

(a) Parties. In every case, the person requesting regulation review must serve a copy of the request on the Director of OPM. In addition, when the implementation of a regulation is being challenged, the requester must also serve a copy of the request on the head of the implementing agency. A copy of all other pleadings must be served, by the person submitting the pleading, on each other party to the proceeding.

(b) Method of serving documents. Pleadings may be served on parties by mail, by personal delivery, by facsimile, or by commercial delivery. Service by mail is accomplished by mailing the pleading to each party or representative, at the party's or representative's last known address. Service by facsimile is accomplished by transmitting the pleading by facsimile to each party or representative. Service by personal delivery or by commercial delivery is accomplished by delivering the pleading to the business office or home of each party or representative and leaving it with the party or representative, or with a responsible person at that address. Regardless of the method of service, the party serving the document must submit to the Board, along with the pleading, a certificate of service as proof that the document was served on the other parties or their representatives. The certificate of service must list the names and addresses of the persons on whom the pleading was served, must state the date on which the pleading was served, must state the method (i.e., mail, personal delivery, facsimile, or commercial delivery) by which service was accomplished, and must be signed by the person responsible for accomplishing service.

(c) Electronic filing. An initial request for a regulation review and other pleadings in a regulation review proceeding may be filed with the Board and served upon other parties by electronic filing, provided the requirements of § 1201.14 of this chapter are satisfied.

The Board may, from time to time, review a regulation on its own motion under 5 U.S.C. 1204(f)(1)(A). When it does so, it will publish notice of the review in the Federal Register.

The Board has substantial discretion in conducting a regulation review under this part. It may conduct a review on the basis of the pleadings alone, or on the basis of the pleadings along with any or all of the following:

(a) Additional written comments;

(b) Oral argument;

(c) Evidence presented at a hearing; and/or

(d) Evidence gathered through any other appropriate procedures that are conducted in accordance with law.

(a) Invalid regulation. If the Board determines that a regulation is invalid on its face, in whole or in part, it will require any agency affected by the order to stop complying with the regulation, in whole or in part. In addition, it may order other remedial action that it finds necessary.

(b) Invalidly implemented regulation. If the Board determines that a regulation has been implemented invalidly, in whole or in part, it will require affected agencies to terminate the invalid implementation.

(c) Corrective action. The Board may order corrective action necessary to ensure compliance with its order. The action it may order includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Cancellation of any personnel action related to the prohibited personnel practice;

(2) Rescission of any action related to the cancelled personnel action;

(3) Removal of any reference, record, or document within an employee's official personnel folder that is related to the prohibited personnel practice;

(4) Award of back pay and benefits;

(5) Award of attorney fees;

(6) Other remedial measures to reverse the effects of a prohibited personnel practice; and

(7) The agency's submission of a verified report of its compliance with the Board's order.

(d) Final decision. The decision of the Board is final and judicially appealable if the Board grants the request to review and addresses the merits of the request.

(a) Any party may ask the Board to enforce a final order it has issued under this part. The request may be made by filing a petition for enforcement with the Office of the Clerk of the Board and by serving a copy of the petition on each party to the regulation review. The request may be filed in electronic form, provided the requirements of § 1201.14 are satisfied. The petition must include specific reasons why the petitioning party believes that there has been a failure to comply with the Board's order.

(b) The Board will take all action necessary to determine whether there has been compliance with its final order. If it determines that there has been a failure to comply with the order, it will take actions necessary to obtain compliance.

(c) Where appropriate, the Board may initiate the enforcement procedures described in 5 CFR 1201.183(c).