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25-4710. Hearing procedure; official notice. (a) To the extent necessary for full disclosure of all relevant facts and issues, the hearing officer shall afford all parties the opportunity to respond, present evidence and argument, and shall not be bound by the technical rules of evidence; provided, the hearing officer may place reasonable limits on the length of the hearing.

(b) The hearing officer may at such hearing officer's discretion give any nonparty an opportunity to present oral or written statements.

(c) All testimony of each party and witness shall be made under oath or affirmation and the hearing officer shall have the power to administer an oath or affirmation for that purpose.

(d) Any part of the evidence may be received in written form if doing so will expedite the hearing without substantial prejudice to the interests of any party.

(e) Official notice may be taken of:

(1) Any matter that could be judicially noticed in the courts of this state;

(2) the record of other proceedings before the secretary of state;

(3) any technical matter within the secretary of state's specialized knowledge; and

(4) any code of standards that have been adopted by:

(A) An agency of the United States;

(B) an agency of this state or of another state; or

(C) a nationally recognized organization or association.

(f) The hearing officer may conduct all or part of the hearing by telephone or other electronic means, if each participant in the hearing has an opportunity to participate in the entire proceeding.

(g) The hearing shall be recorded at the secretary of state's expense. The secretary of state is not required to prepare a transcript at its expense. Any party may request, at the party's expense, that the secretary of state prepare a transcript from the record, or cause additional recordings to be made during the hearing. If a transcript is produced, the secretary of state shall include a copy in the official record.

(h) Except for any part of the hearing that the hearing officer rules to be closed pursuant to a provision of law expressly authorizing such closure, the hearing shall be open to the public.

History: L. 2004, ch. 25, § 26; July 1.