N.M. Admin. Code § 13.1.5.19 - HEARING OFFICER POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. General authority. The superintendent may preside over OSI's hearings or may designate a hearing officer to preside instead.

B. Duties of the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall conduct fair and impartial hearings, take all necessary action to avoid delay in the proceedings and maintain order. The hearing officer shall have the powers necessary to carry out these duties, including the following:

(1) to administer or have administered oaths and affirmations;

(2) to cause depositions to be taken;

(3) to require the production or inspection of documents and other items;

(4) to require the answering of interrogatories and requests for admissions;

(5) to rule upon offers of proof and receive evidence;

(6) to regulate the course of the hearings and the conduct of the parties and their representatives therein;

(7) to issue a scheduling order, schedule a prehearing conference for simplification of the issues, or any other proper purpose;

(8) to schedule, continue and reschedule hearings;

(9) to consider and rule upon all procedural and other motions appropriate in proceeding, including qualification of expert witnesses and admission of exhibits;

(10) to require the filing of briefs on specific legal issues prior to or after the hearing;

(11) to cause a docket to be opened and a complete record of a hearing to be made;

(12) to make and issue decisions and procedural orders;

(13) to issue subpoenas in the name of the superintendent;

(14) if acting on behalf of the superintendent, to issue a recommendation to the superintendent regarding the final resolution of the matter; and

(15) to appropriately sanction, up to exclusion, indecorous, obstinate, recalcitrant, obstreperous, unethical, unprofessional or other improper conduct that interferes with the conduct of a fair and orderly hearing or the development of a complete record.

C. Independence of the hearing officer. In the performance of these functions, the hearing officer shall not be responsible to or subject to the direction of any other officer, employee or agent of OSI, except that a hearing officer appointed by the superintendent shall be subject to the direction of the superintendent.

D. Ex parte communication. In the performance of these functions, the hearing officer is prohibited from engaging in any improper ex parte communications about the substantive issues with any party on any matter. An improper ex parte communication occurs when the hearing officer discusses or otherwise communicates regarding the substance of a case without the opposing party being present, except that it is not an improper ex parte communication for the hearing officer to go on the record with only one party when the other party has failed to appear at a scheduled hearing.

E. Final order. After a thorough review of the record and any recommendation prepared by a designated hearing officer, the superintendent shall issue a final order. No party or member of OSI staff shall engage in any ex parte communication with the superintendent in an attempt to influence his final decision.

Notes

N.M. Admin. Code § 13.1.5.19

Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXX, Issue 12, June 25, 2019, eff. 7/1/2019