OAR 137-003-0645: Proposed Orders in Contested Cases

(1) Unless the administrative law judge is authorized or required to issue a final order without first issuing a proposed order, the administrative law judge shall prepare a proposed order. (2) The proposed order shall be based exclusively on: (a) The pleadings, including the contested case notice, and motions; (b) The applicable law; (c) Evidence and arguments; (d) Stipulations; (e) Ex parte written communications received by the administrative law judge, memoranda prepared by the administrative law judge reflecting the substance of any ex parte oral communications made to the administrative law judge, written responses made by the administrative law judge and any memoranda prepared by the administrative law judge reflecting the substance of any oral responses made by the administrative law judge; (f) Judicially cognizable facts and matters officially noticed; (g) Proposed findings of fact and written argument submitted by a party or the agency; (h) Intermediate orders or rulings by the administrative law judge or Chief Administrative Law Judge; and (i) Any other material made part of the record of the hearing. (3) The proposed order shall fully dispose of all issues presented to the administrative law judge that are required to resolve the case. The proposed order shall be in writing and shall include: (a) The case caption; (b) The name of the administrative law judge(s), the appearances of the parties and identity of witnesses; (c) A statement of the issues; (d) References to specific statutes or rules at issue; (e) Rulings on issues presented to the administrative law judge, such as admissibility of offered evidence, when the rulings are not set forth in the record; (f) Findings as to each issue of fact and as to each ultimate fact required to support the proposed order, along with a statement of the underlying facts supporting each finding; (g) Conclusions of law based on the findings of fact and applicable law; (h) An explanation of the reasoning that leads from the findings of fact to the legal conclusion(s); (i) The action the administrative law judge recommends the agency take as a result of the facts found and the legal conclusions arising there from; and (j) The name of the administrative law judge who prepared the proposed order and the date the order was issued. (4) The agency by rule may provide that the proposed order will become a final order if no exceptions are filed within the time specified in the agency rule unless the agency notifies the parties and the administrative law judge that the agency will issue the final order. If the agency adopts such a rule, the proposed order shall include a statement to this effect. (5) If the recommended action in the proposed order is adverse to any party, the proposed order shall also include a statement that the party may file exceptions and present argument to the agency or, if authorized to issue the final order, to the administrative law judge. The proposed order shall include information provided by the agency as to: (a) Where and when written exceptions must be filed to be considered by the agency; and (b) When and in what form argument may be made to the official(s) who will render the final order. (6) The administrative law judge shall serve the proposed order on the agency and each party. (7) The proposed order shall include a certificate of service, documenting the date the proposed order was served on the agency and each party. (8) The administrative law judge shall transmit the hearing record to the agency when the proposed order is served or, if the administrative law judge has authority to issue a final order, when the final order is served.