(a) If a fact may be judicially noticed by the courts of the state, an administrative law judge may take official notice of that fact by informing the parties of, and referring in the administrative hearing record to, the fact that the administrative law judge intends to officially notice. The administrative law judge, on the request of a party, will give the party a reasonable opportunity to present evidence or authority to refute the officially noticed facts.
(b) Nothing in this section precludes the final decision-maker from taking official notice of a generally accepted technical or scientific matter within the final decision-maker's special expertise if allowed by law.