Section Agr 204.24 - Ethical Standards(a) Hearings officers, in the discharge of their official duties, and all persons participating in the hearings process of the department, shall observe and be governed by the ethical standards of conduct specified in this section.(b) Hearings officers shall avoid the appearance of impropriety in all activities and shall conduct themselves in a manner which promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the hearings officer in particular and of the hearings process in general.(c) Hearings officers shall:(1) Perform their duties impartially and diligently;(2) Know the law and the rules governing the department;(3) Maintain order and decorum in proceedings before the department;(4) Be patient and courteous to those persons who participate in the hearings process; and(5) Dispose promptly of matters heard by the hearings officer.(d) Hearings officers shall disqualify themselves when their impartiality might be reasonably questioned.(e) Hearings officers shall not participate in a contested case when:(1) The hearings officer has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or a party's representative;(2) The hearings officer has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding; or(3) A relative of the hearings officer is a party to the proceeding or is known by the hearings officer to have a substantial interest in the outcome of the proceeding.(f) Hearings officers shall avoid ex parte communications in accordance with Agr 204.17.(g) Hearings officers shall not directly or indirectly solicit or accept any gift or gratuity from any person or party involved in any contested matter pending before the hearings officer. Unsolicited gifts or gratuities shall be returned to the donor, and their receipt shall be reported to the commissioner in writing.(h) Gifts or gratuities shall: (1) Include but not be limited to meals, alcoholic beverages, hotel accommodations, travel expenses or flowers; and(2) Not include plaques or other mementos of token value received for speaking engagements or meals received at functions in which the department has a specific part in the program.N.H. Admin. Code § Agr 204.24
#6299, eff 7-25-96, EXPIRED: 7-25-04
New. #8309-A, eff 3-24-05