The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1. (1) Agency--The Texas Education Agency.
2. (2) Commissioner--The state commissioner of education; the agency having statewide jurisdiction to hear contested cases.
3. (3) Contested case--A proceeding in which legal rights, duties, or privileges of a party are to be determined by the commissioner after opportunity for an adjudicative hearing.
4. (4) Disqualification--When a hearings examiner, in his or her discretion, permanently forbids a party representative from any further participation in an adjudicative proceeding.
5. (5) Exclusion--When a hearings examiner, in his or her discretion, ejects a person temporarily from an adjudicative proceeding.
6. (6) Hearings examiner--A member or employee of the agency or other individual assigned to issue a proposal for decision, to render a decision, or to make findings of fact or conclusions of law in a case.
7. (7) Hearings process--Refers to an adjudicative proceeding from initiation until final decision.
8. (8) Party representative--A lawyer or non-lawyer who acts on behalf of himself or herself, or on behalf of another person during an adjudicative proceeding.

Source Note:The provisions of this §157.1042 adopted to be effective April 7, 1993, 18 TexReg 1928.