(a) Commissioner means the Commissioner of Labor of the State of New York.
(b) Hearing officer means the person authorized or designated by the commissioner to conduct a hearing.
(c) Department means the Department of Labor of the State of New York.
(d) Ruling means a determination or order issued by the commissioner in a particular case or group of cases.
(e) Adjudicatory proceeding means a proceeding before the Department in which a determination of legal rights, duties or privileges of named parties thereto is required by law to be made only on a record and after an opportunity for a formal adversarial hearing.