The role of Department staff in a licensing proceeding is to
assist the Presiding Officer, Commissioner or Board in a non-advocate capacity
by gathering facts, identifying issues for consideration, analyzing evidence
submitted, and making recommendations regarding compliance with relevant
license criteria. Department staff may communicate with the applicant regarding
additional information sought on specific license criteria. Department staff
may also communicate with any party regarding evidence or other materials
submitted by that party.
A.
Evaluation of Evidence. The experience, technical expertise and
specialized knowledge of Department staff may be utilized in the evaluation of
all evidence in a licensing proceeding before and during a hearing and after
the hearing record is closed.
B.
Hired Consultants and Outside Agency Review Staff. Department
staff may hire consultants or request the aid of outside agency review staff to
assist in the evaluation of evidence in a licensing proceeding. Where
Department staff has asked outside agency review staff to assist in evaluation
of the evidence, the outside agency review staff may submit written comments on
the evidence submitted by the parties, supply information in that agency's
possession, respond in writing to questions from Department staff related to
matters in the agency's area of expertise-, or recommend that Department staff
request additional information from the applicant on specific license criteria.
Department staff shall provide notice to the parties of the availability of
materials received from hired consultants or outside agency review
staff.
C.
Review Comments on
Application. Department staff and any outside agency review staff
assisting the Department in its review of the application shall submit any
review comments on the application sufficiently in advance of the hearing so
that the applicant has an opportunity to respond to those comments and all
parties have an opportunity to review the applicant's responses. The review
comments shall be submitted to the persons listed on the service list
maintained by the Presiding Officer pursuant to section 3(B). This subsection
does not preclude Department staff from using at any time the experience,
technical expertise and specialized knowledge of hired consultants and outside
agency review staff in its analysis of the evidence during the hearing and
after the hearing record has closed.
D.
Additional Information from
Applicant. If Department staff or the Presiding Officer request
additional information from the applicant pursuant to section 16(A), such
requests shall be made sufficiently in advance of the hearing so that the
applicant has an opportunity to respond to those requests and all parties have
an opportunity to review the applicant's responses. If additional information
needs arise during the hearing, the Presiding Officer shall afford the
applicant a reasonable opportunity to respond to those information requests
prior to the close of the hearing record.
E.
Hearing and Recommendation.
Department staff and, if requested by the Presiding Officer, Department
hired consultants and outside agency review staff will attend the hearing to
answer questions of the Presiding Officer or Board members regarding the
contents of the record, ask questions of witnesses, and otherwise assist in the
gathering of facts. The Presiding Officer may request hired consultants or
outside agency review staff to testify at the hearing to respond to questions
regarding comments submitted to the record. If this occurs parties shall be
permitted to ask questions of the hired consultant or outside agency review
staff person regarding their review comments. At the conclusion of the hearing
and after the record is closed, Department staff will draft a recommendation
for the Presiding Officer's, Commissioner's or the Board's
consideration.
F.
Exceptions. This section does not apply to state, federal, municipal or
other governmental agencies that have not been asked by Department staff to
assist in the evaluation of evidence, but rather are participating in the
licensing proceeding pursuant to section 11(A) or 11(C).