HF2451

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to make changes to the existing administrative hearing structure within Minnesota's state government. It aims to rename and reclassify the Office of Administrative Hearings to the Court of Administrative Hearings and establish formal procedures for handling remands in contested cases.

Main Provisions

• Renaming: The Office of Administrative Hearings will be renamed to the Court of Administrative Hearings, to align the terminology with judicial functions.

• Leadership and Structure: The office court will be led by a Chief Administrative Law Judge, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. This judge can appoint other judges as necessary and delegate responsibilities to employees.

• Remand Procedure: Establishes new procedures for agencies to request a remand for additional fact-finding in a contested case. Agencies must state specific reasons for requesting a remand, which can be accepted by the chief judge if certain conditions are met.

• Final Decisions: The bill specifies that, in general, an administrative law judge’s decision is final unless modified by the agency within 90 days. It allows extensions of this period for good cause.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Renaming and Terminology Adjustments: Changes the term "office" to "court" throughout Minnesota statutes, reflecting a shift from administrative to judicial character.

• Repeal of Existing Statutes: Repeals sections 211B.06 and 211B.08 of Minnesota Statutes. Section 211B.06 addressed false political and campaign material, while section 211B.08 dealt with the solicitation of contributions by religious, charitable, or educational organizations.

Relevant Terms

renaming, Court of Administrative Hearings, Office of Administrative Hearings, administrative law judge, remand, contested case, hearing record, Minnesota statutes, repeal, false political material, solicitation of contributions, judicial structure.