§ 200.3 Processing of petitions.

(a) If a document qualifies as a petition under 11 CFR 200.2, the Commission, upon the recommendation of the Office of General Counsel, will— (1) Publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, stating that the petition is available for public inspection in the Commission's Public Records Office and that statements in support of or in opposition to the petition may be filed within a stated period after publication of the notice; (2) Pursuant to 52 U.S.C. 30111(f), seek the Internal Revenue Service's comments on the petition; and (3) Notify the petitioner, acknowledging receipt of the petition and informing the petitioner of the above actions. (b) If the petition does not comply with the requirements of 11 CFR 200.2(b), the Office of General Counsel may notify the petitioner of the nature of any discrepancies. (c) If the Commission decides that a Notice of Inquiry, Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or a public hearing on the petition would contribute to its determination whether to commence a rulemaking proceeding, it will publish an appropriate notice in the Federal Register, to advise interested persons and to invite their participation. (d) The Commission will not consider the merits of the petition before the expiration of the comment period on the Notice of Availability. (e) The Commission will consider all comments filed within the comment period prescribed in the relevant Federal Register notice. The Commission may, at its discretion, consider comments received after the close of the comment period.