The Regulatory Services Division (RSD) provides effective oversight of regulated programs as authorized by the Texas Legislature. Regulatory authority varies by program, and may extend to partnerships with other federal, state and local agencies. Current programs include Capitol Access Pass (CAP), Compassionate Use Program (CUP), Handgun Licensing (LTC), Ignition Interlock Device (IID), Precursor Chemical and Laboratory Apparatus (PCLA), Private Security, Texas Metals Program and Vehicle Inspection (Safety, Emissions).
The Regulatory Services Division (RSD) provides oversight using a three-strategy approach: 1) Issuance 2) Modernization and 3) Compliance and Enforcement.
The Regulatory Services Issuance section is responsible for issuing regulatory licenses and permits, and for tracking the number of license and permit holders. Regulatory Services Issuance ensures the integrity of regulatory programs through a rigorous licensing process, which includes receiving and reviewing license and permit applications and ensuring compliance with applicable policies, codes, and statutes.
The Regulatory Services Modernization section is responsible for improving the operational efficiency and delivery of regulatory services to customers through re-engineered business processes and implementation of improved technological solutions.
The Regulatory Services Compliance and Enforcement section is responsible for auditing program licensees and permit holders for compliance with applicable state and federal regulations. The section reviews complaints from the public and monitors and analyzes program data to detect potential criminal or administrative violations. If warranted, investigations are conducted, administrative penalties are assessed, and criminal prosecutions are pursued.
RSD maintains LENS-focused regulatory services (lean, efficient, nimble, and scalable) to improvise and adapt to an ever-changing environment to provide services the citizens and legislature demands. In a LENS business model, services and employees are organized by function, rather than by program, which helps to eliminate duplication of effort and increase efficiencies. For example, RSD application staff can process permits and licenses for all regulatory programs. This allows team members to easily redirect to programs experiencing high volume to maintain processing time effectively.