§ 395.37 Arbitration of State licensing agency complaints.

(a) Whenever any State licensing agency determines that any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States which has control of the maintenance, operation, and protection of Federal property is failing to comply with the provisions of the Act or of this part and all informal attempts to resolve the issues have been unsuccessful, such licensing agency may file a complaint with the Secretary.

(b) Upon receipt of a complaint filed under paragraph (a) of this section, the Secretary shall convene an ad hoc arbitration panel which shall, in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. ch. 5, subchapter II, give notice, conduct a hearing and render its decision which shall be final and binding on the parties except that such decision shall be subject to appeal and review as a final agency action for purposes of the provisions of 5 U.S.C. ch. 7. The arbitration panel convened by the Secretary to hear complaints filed by a State licensing agency shall be composed of three members appointed as follows:

(1) One individual designated by the State licensing agency;

(2) One individual designated by the head of the Federal department, agency, or instrumentality controlling the Federal property over which the dispute arose; and

(3) One individual, not employed by the Federal department, agency, or instrumentality controlling the Federal property over which the dispute arose, who shall be jointly designated by the other members of the panel and who shall serve as chairman of the panel.

(c) If either the State licensing agency or the head of the Federal department, agency, or instrumentality fails to designate a member of an arbitration panel, the Secretary shall designate such member on behalf of such party.

(d) If the panel finds that the acts or practices of any department, agency, or instrumentality are in violation of the Act or of this part, the head of any such department, agency, or instrumentality (subject to any appeal under paragraph (b) of this section) shall cause such acts or practices to be terminated promptly and shall take such other action as may be necessary to carry out the decision of the panel.

(e) The decisions of an arbitration panel convened by the Secretary under this section shall be matters of public record and shall be published in the Federal Register.

(f) The Secretary shall pay all reasonable costs of arbitration under this section in accordance with a schedule of fees and expenses which shall be published in the Federal Register.