Section R. 408.21431 - Duties and powers of hearings officerRule 431.
(1) The hearings officer shall conduct a fair and impartial hearing, assure that the facts are fully elicited, adjudicate all issues, and avoid delay.(2) The hearings officer shall have authority, with respect to cases assigned to him between the time he is designated and the time he issues his report and subject to the rules of the board and the provisions of chapter 4 of Act No. 306 of the Public Acts of 1969, being S24.271 et seq. of the Michigan Compiled Laws, to do the following: (a) Administer oaths and affirmations.(b) Sign and issue subpoenas in the name of the agency and require the attendance and giving of testimony by witnesses and the production of books, papers, and other documentary evidence.(c) Provide for the taking of testimony by deposition.(d) Regulate the course of the hearings, set the time and place for continued hearings, and fix the time for filing of briefs and other documents.(e) Direct the parties to appear and confer to consider simplification of the issues by consent of the parties.Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.21431