(1)
Form and time of appeal.
Any contractor aggrieved by a citation of notice of proposed administrative
penalty shall notify the commissioner of labor, within 15 working days from the
date of receipt of the notice, that the contractor intends to contest the
citation or proposed penalty. The commissioner shall, within 10 working days of
the receipt of the notice of contest, transmit the original notice of contest
to the employment appeal board, together with all records and documents
contained in the administrative file, except the agency work product. The
contest (hereinafter called appeal) must be in writing, signed by the
respondent or authorized agent. If an appeal is signed by an authorized agent,
the name of the respondent shall be shown at the end of the appeal, followed by
the signature of the authorized agent.
(2)
Taking the appeal. An
appeal shall be deemed filed on the date the notice of contest is filed with
the commissioner of labor. The date shall be the date of the postmark, if filed
by using the U.S. Postal Service with a properly addressed envelope with
sufficient postage paid by the respondent. If the appeal is metered, with no
postmark on the envelope, the date of the meter mark shall be the filing date.
If neither a postmark nor meter mark is available, the date of the notice of
contest shall be the filing date. If the notice of contest is filed by
facsimile document, the date of the fax shall be the filing date.
(3)
Hearing date and notice.
Upon receipt of the appeal, a determination shall be made by the appeal board
whether the board shall hear the appeal or whether the appeal shall be assigned
to an administrative law judge in the appeals section of the department of
inspections and appeals. If the board determines it will hear the appeal,
notice shall be provided to the parties, by ordinary mail, of the date and time
of the hearing. This notice shall be provided not less than ten days prior to
the hearing date. If the hearing is to be conducted by an administrative law
judge, that judge shall provide notice of the hearing as provided by the rules
of the appeals section.
(4)
Continuances. Requests for continuance of a hearing must be
made not less than three days prior to the scheduled hearing date. The request
must be in writing and signed by the requesting party or authorized
representative. Each party shall be granted only one continuance, unless good
cause is established for additional continuances. The chairperson of the appeal
board shall determine whether good cause has been established for additional
continuances.
(5)
Hearing. The hearing may be conducted by a quorum of the
employment appeal board. A quorum shall consist of two members of the
employment appeal board.
(6)
Procedures during hearings. The hearing shall be conducted in
an informal manner as provided for by Iowa Code section 17A.12.
(7)
Decisions. When the
employment appeal board presides at the reception of the evidence, the decision
of the employment appeal board is the final decision. If the hearing is
conducted by an administrative law judge, the decision of the judge shall be a
proposed decision which shall become final unless an application for further
review is filed with the employment appeal board within 20 days of the date of
the administrative law judge's decision.
(8)
Hearings and further
appeals. The decision of the employment appeal board is the final
decision of the agency. An application for rehearing, as provided for by Iowa
Code section
17A.16(2), must be filed within 20 days of the date of the
employment appeal board's decision. The application shall be in writing,
stating specific grounds for the rehearing, and be signed by the aggrieved
party or representative.
An application for rehearing shall be deemed denied unless
acted upon by the employment appeal board within 20 days of its filing by the
party.
The decision of the appeal board shall become final, without
further review, unless within 60 days from the date of the board's decision, a
petition for judicial review is filed in the appropriate district court. A
petition for judicial review may be filed within 60 days from the date the
application for rehearing has been denied or deemed denied.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 10A.601
and Iowa Code chapter 91C.