75-37,121. Office of administrative hearings; presiding officers; director, duties of; rules and regulations; required utilization of presiding officers; personnel transfers. (a) There is created the office of administrative hearings within the department of administration, to be headed by a director appointed by the secretary of administration. The director shall be in the unclassified service under the Kansas civil service act.

(b) The office may employ or contract with presiding officers, court reporters and other support personnel as necessary to conduct proceedings required by the Kansas administrative procedure act for adjudicative proceedings of the state agencies, boards and commissions specified in subsection (h). The office shall conduct adjudicative proceedings of any state agency which is specified in subsection (h) when requested by such agency. Only a person admitted to practice law in this state or a person directly supervised by a person admitted to practice law in this state may be employed as a presiding officer. The office may employ regular part-time personnel. Persons employed by the office shall be under the classified civil service.

(c) If the office cannot furnish one of its presiding officers within 60 days in response to a requesting agency's request, the director shall designate in writing a full-time employee of an agency other than the requesting agency to serve as presiding officer for the proceeding, but only with the consent of the employing agency. The designee must possess the same qualifications required of presiding officers employed by the office.

(d) The director may furnish presiding officers on a contract basis to any governmental entity to conduct any proceeding other than a proceeding as provided in subsection (h).

(e) The secretary of administration may adopt rules and regulations:

(1) To establish procedures for agencies to request and for the director to assign presiding officers. An agency may neither select nor reject any individual presiding officer for any proceeding except in accordance with the Kansas administrative procedure act;

(2) to establish procedures and adopt forms, consistent with the Kansas administrative procedure act, the model rules of procedure, and other provisions of law, to govern presiding officers; and

(3) to facilitate the performance of the responsibilities conferred upon the office by the Kansas administrative procedure act.

(f) The director may implement the provisions of this section and rules and regulations adopted under its authority.

(g) The secretary of administration may adopt rules and regulations to establish fees to charge a state agency for the cost of using a presiding officer.

(h) The following state agencies, boards and commissions shall utilize the office of administrative hearings for conducting adjudicative hearings under the Kansas administrative procedure act in which the presiding officer is not the agency head or one or more members of the agency head:

(1) On and after July 1, 2005: Kansas department for children and families, juvenile justice authority, Kansas department for aging and disability services, department of health and environment, Kansas public employees retirement system, Kansas water office, Kansas department of agriculture division of animal health and Kansas insurance department.

(2) On and after July 1, 2006: Emergency medical services board, emergency medical services council and Kansas human rights commission.

(3) On and after July 1, 2007: Kansas lottery, Kansas racing and gaming commission, state treasurer, pooled money investment board, Kansas department of wildlife, parks and tourism and state board of tax appeals.

(4) On and after July 1, 2008: Department of human resources, state corporation commission, Kansas department of agriculture division of conservation, agricultural labor relations board, department of administration, department of revenue, board of adult care home administrators, Kansas state grain inspection department, board of accountancy and Kansas wheat commission.

(5) On and after July 1, 2009, all other Kansas administrative procedure act hearings not mentioned in subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4).

(i) (1) Effective July 1, 2005, any presiding officer in agencies specified in subsection (h)(1) which conduct hearings pursuant to the Kansas administrative procedure act, except those exempted pursuant to K.S.A. 77-551, and amendments thereto, and support personnel for such presiding officers, shall be transferred to and shall become employees of the office of administrative hearings. Such personnel shall retain all rights under the state personnel system and retirement benefits under the laws of this state which had accrued to or vested in such personnel prior to the effective date of this section. Such person's services shall be deemed to have been continuous. All transfers of personnel positions in the classified service under the Kansas civil service act shall be in accordance with civil service laws and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. This section shall not affect any matter pending before an administrative hearing officer at the time of the effective date of the transfer, and such matter shall proceed as though no transfer of employment had occurred.

(2) Effective July 1, 2006, any presiding officer in agencies specified in subsection (h)(2) which conduct hearings pursuant to the Kansas administrative procedure act, except those exempted pursuant to K.S.A. 77-551, and amendments thereto, and support personnel for such presiding officers, shall be transferred to and shall become employees of the office of administrative hearings. Such personnel shall retain all rights under the state personnel system and retirement benefits under the laws of this state which had accrued to or vested in such personnel prior to the effective date of this section. Such person's services shall be deemed to have been continuous. All transfers of personnel positions in the classified service under the Kansas civil service act shall be in accordance with civil service laws and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. This section shall not affect any matter pending before an administrative hearing officer at the time of the effective date of the transfer, and such matter shall proceed as though no transfer of employment had occurred.

(3) Effective July 1, 2007, any presiding officer in agencies specified in subsection (h)(3) which conduct hearings pursuant to the Kansas administrative procedure act, except those exempted pursuant to K.S.A. 77-551, and amendments thereto, and support personnel for such presiding officers, shall be transferred to and shall become employees of the office of administrative hearings. Such personnel shall retain all rights under the state personnel system and retirement benefits under the laws of this state which had accrued to or vested in such personnel prior to the effective date of this section. Such person's services shall be deemed to have been continuous. All transfers of personnel positions in the classified service under the Kansas civil service act shall be in accordance with civil service laws and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. This section shall not affect any matter pending before an administrative hearing officer at the time of the effective date of the transfer, and such matter shall proceed as though no transfer of employment had occurred.

(4) Effective July 1, 2008, any full-time presiding officer in agencies specified in subsection (h)(4) which conduct hearings pursuant to the Kansas administrative procedure act, except those exempted pursuant to K.S.A. 77-551, and amendments thereto, and support personnel for such presiding officers, shall be transferred to and shall become employees of the office of administrative hearings. Such personnel shall retain all rights under the state personnel system and retirement benefits under the laws of this state which had accrued to or vested in such personnel prior to the effective date of this section. Such person's services shall be deemed to have been continuous. All transfers of personnel positions in the classified service under the Kansas civil service act shall be in accordance with civil service laws and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. This section shall not affect any matter pending before an administrative hearing officer at the time of the effective date of the transfer, and such matter shall proceed as though no transfer of employment had occurred.

(5) Effective July 1, 2009, any full-time presiding officer in agencies specified in subsection (h)(5) which conduct hearings pursuant to the Kansas administrative procedure act, except those exempted pursuant to K.S.A. 77-551, and amendments thereto, and support personnel for such presiding officers, shall be transferred to and shall become employees of the office of administrative hearings. Such personnel shall retain all rights under the state personnel system and retirement benefits under the laws of this state which had accrued to or vested in such personnel prior to the effective date of this section. Such person's services shall be deemed to have been continuous. All transfers of personnel positions in the classified service under the Kansas civil service act shall be in accordance with civil service laws and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. This section shall not affect any matter pending before an administrative hearing officer at the time of the effective date of the transfer, and such matter shall proceed as though no transfer of employment occurred.

History: L. 1997, ch. 182, § 88; L. 2000, ch. 132, § 1; L. 2004, ch. 145, § 34; L. 2006, ch. 4, § 1; L. 2007, ch. 192, § 1; L. 2008, ch. 109, § 67; L. 2012, ch. 47, § 117; L. 2012, ch. 166, § 19; L. 2013, ch. 133, § 29; L. 2014, ch. 141, § 74; L. 2015, ch. 100, § 13; July 1.

Section was amended twice in the 2012 session, see also 75-37, 121a.

Section was also amended by L. 2012, ch. 102, § 33, but that version was repealed by L. 2012, ch. 166, § 24.

Section was amended twice in the 2014 session, see also 75-37,121b.