The Board of Review and appeal referees shall not be bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence or by technical rules of procedure, but any hearing or appeal before either shall be conducted in such manner as to ascertain the substantial rights of the parties. The Board of Review shall adopt reasonable rules governing the manner of filing appeals and the conduct of hearings and appeals before the Board of Review, consistent with the provisions of the Employment Security Act of 1980, Section 40-1-101 et seq. of this title. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission shall adopt and, from time to time, may modify and amend rules governing appeals before the Appeals Tribunal of the Commission and its referees, which rules shall provide for one hearing before a referee near the place of the last employment involved in an intrastate appeal. When the same or substantially similar evidence is relevant and material to the matters in issue in claims by more than one individual or in claims by a single individual with respect to two (2) or more weeks of unemployment, the same time and place for considering each such claim may be fixed, hearings thereon jointly conducted, a single record of the proceedings made, and evidence introduced with respect to one proceeding considered as introduced in the others, provided that in the judgment of the appeal tribunal referee having jurisdiction of the proceeding, such consolidation would not be prejudicial to any party. No person shall participate as an appeal tribunal referee or member of the Board of Review on any case in which he has a personal interest. A record shall be kept of all testimony and proceedings before an appeal tribunal referee or the Board of Review in connection with an appeal, but the testimony need not be transcribed unless judicial review is initiated. Witnesses subpoenaed pursuant to this section shall be allowed fees at a rate fixed by the Commission and fees of witnesses subpoenaed on behalf of the Commission or any claimant, or the Board of Review, shall be deemed part of the expense of administering the Employment Security Act of 1980.

Laws 1980, SB 637, c. 323, § 2-607, eff. October 1, 1980; Amended by Laws 1982, HB 1808, c. 304, § 10, eff. October 1, 1982; Amended by Laws 1990, SB 855, c. 333, § 4, emerg. eff. May 31, 1990.