Final answer:
The action published when the public requests a forum for rule changes is C) Petition for rulemaking. This traditionally falls under 'notice-and-comment rulemaking,' where public input is sought before finalizing new regulations, though some agencies now use 'negotiated rulemaking' to streamline the process and foster consensus.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a member of the public requests rulemaking action to give the public a forum to propose rule changes, the action that is published is C) Petition for rulemaking.
The rulemaking process, such as the one used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is known as "notice and comment" rulemaking. This process involves giving the public a notice that the FCC is considering adopting or modifying rules on a particular subject and then seeking the public's comment. The Commission then evaluates these comments when developing final rules.
The notice-and-comment rulemaking process has traditionally been used by government bureaucracies to involve the public in the development of new regulations. The proposed rules are published in the Federal Register, giving the public the opportunity to provide input before the final rules are adopted.
Despite its intentions to encourage a productive interchange of ideas, this process has sometimes resulted in adversarial interactions and, consequently, protracted and contentious rulemaking that can lead to litigation. To address these issues, negotiated rulemaking, or "reg-neg," was introduced and later codified in the Negotiated Rulemaking Acts of 1990 and 1996.
In reg-neg, a convenor organizes a committee of interested parties to discuss and reach a general consensus on proposed rules, with the assistance of neutral mediators. By engaging directly with vested interests, reg-neg aims to streamline the rulemaking process and achieve results that are more satisfactory to all involved parties. It represents an evolution in the approach to government bureaucratic oversight.