1. (a) All hearings shall be conducted by a natural person appointed or authorized by the commissioner to serve as a presiding officer.

2. (b) A presiding officer shall, as necessary:

   1. (1) Regulate and control the course of a hearing and any related conferences;
   2. (2) Pursuant to RSA 541-A:31, V (a) and RSA 541-A:38, facilitate an informal resolution of an appeal or, in the alternative, designate an individual to act as an intermediary in order to facilitate settlement;
   3. (3) Administer oaths and affirmations;
   4. (4) Issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses at hearings or the production of documents, if so authorized by law;
   5. (5) Receive relevant evidence at hearings and exclude irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence;
   6. (6) Rule on procedural requests, including adjournments or postponements, at the request of a party or the presiding officer’s own motion;
   7. (7) Question any person who testifies;
   8. (8) Cause a complete record of any hearing to be made, as specified in RSA 541-A:31, VI; and
   9. (9) Take any other action consistent with applicable statutes, rules, and case law necessary to conduct the hearing and complete the record in a fair and timely manner.

Source. #10218, eff 10-30-12, EXPIRED: 7-1-18