The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas ("CPRIT" or "the Institute") adopts the amendments to §§703.11, 703.13, 703.14, 703.21, and 703.24 without changes to the proposed amendments as published in the September 28, 2018, issue of the Texas Register (43 TexReg 6431), therefore, the rules will not be republished. The amendments allow a grantee an extra business day to submit required reports that may be due on a weekend or federal holiday.

Reasoned Justification

The adopted amendments to §§703.11, 703.13, 703.14, 703.21, and 703.24 allow required grant filings to be submitted the next business day following a due date that falls on a weekend or federal holiday as designated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. For example, if the due date of a Financial Status Report (FSR) falls on a Saturday, the grant recipient may submit the FSR on the first business day following the due date without the Institute considering the report delinquent. Moving the due date to a business day is consistent with the practice of most state and federal agencies. Implementing this change assists CPRIT's grant recipients and may reduce the occurrence of delinquent reports.

Summary of Public Comments and Staff Recommendation

CPRIT received no public comments regarding the proposed amendments to §§703.11, 703.13, 703.14, 703.21, and 703.24.

The rule change is adopted under the authority of the Texas Health and Safety Code Annotated, §102.108, which provides the Institute with broad rule-making authority to administer the chapter, including rules for awarding grants.