I have reviewed this proposed regulation on a preliminary basis.  I am approving the regulation to move forward for public comment; however, I have objected to efforts to make fee increases automatic based on inflation measures, as such methods do not necessarily correlate to the actual costs of any given program.  Additionally, these methods bypass the regulatory process, thus sacrificing public participation in fee decisions.  I ask the Board to consider removing any provisions that set fees automatically or otherwise set fees without the public paritcipation required by the Virginia Administrative Process Act.