(b) Each agency shall give at least 45 days' notice of its intended action to the general public. This first notice period shall commence on the first day the notice appears in the Illinois Register. The first notice shall include all the following:
(1) The text of the proposed rule, the old and new materials of a proposed amendment, or the text of the provision to be repealed.
(2) The specific statutory citation upon which the proposed rule, the proposed amendment to a rule, or the proposed repeal of a rule is based and by which it is authorized.
(3) A complete description of the subjects and issues involved.
(3.5) A descriptive title or other description of any published study or research report used in developing the rule, the identity of the person who performed such study, and a description of where the public may obtain a copy of any such study or research report. If the study was performed by an agency or by a person or entity that contracted with the agency for the performance of the study, the agency shall also make copies of the underlying data available to members of the public upon request if the data are not protected from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
(4) For all proposed rules and proposed amendments to rules, an initial regulatory flexibility analysis containing a description of the types of small businesses subject to the rule; a brief description of the proposed reporting, bookkeeping, and other procedures required for compliance with the rule; and a description of the types of professional skills necessary for compliance.
(5) The time, place, and manner in which interested persons may present their views and comments concerning the proposed rulemaking.
During the first notice period, the agency shall accept from any interested persons data, views, arguments, or comments. These may, in the discretion of the agency, be submitted either orally or in writing or both. The notice published in the Illinois Register shall indicate the manner selected by the agency for the submissions. The agency shall consider all submissions received.
The agency shall hold a public hearing on the proposed rulemaking during the first notice period if (i) during the first notice period, the agency finds that a public hearing would facilitate the submission of views and comments that might not otherwise be submitted or (ii) the agency receives a request for a public hearing, within the first 14 days after publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking in the Illinois Register, from 25 interested persons, an association representing at least 100 interested persons, the Governor, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or a unit of local government that may be affected. At the public hearing, the agency shall allow interested persons to present views and comments on the proposed rulemaking. A public hearing in response to a request for a hearing may not be held less than 20 days after the publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking in the Illinois Register unless notice of the public hearing is included in the notice of proposed rulemaking. A public hearing on proposed rulemaking may not be held less than 5 days before submission of the notice required under subsection (c) of this Section to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Each agency may prescribe reasonable rules for the conduct of public hearings on proposed rulemaking to prevent undue repetition at the hearings. The hearings must be open to the public and recorded by stenographic or mechanical means. At least one agency representative shall be present during the hearing who is qualified to respond to general questions from the public regarding the agency's proposal and the rulemaking process.