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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.995 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:20020207 Primary Sponsor:Land All Sponsors:Land, Holland and Setzler Drafted Document Number:l:\s-resmin\bills\land\smin2013.jcl.doc Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Committee 11 SJ Subject:Administrative Law Judges, chief judge, rotation of position among all judges of the division; all judges to receive same compensation History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 20020207 Introduced, read first time, 11 SJ referred to Committee Versions of This Bill
TO AMEND ARTICLE 5 OF CHAPTER 23 OF SECTION 1 OF THE CODE OF LAWS RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DIVISION SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE POSITION OF CHIEF JUDGE OF THE DIVISION MUST ROTATE AMONG ALL JUDGES OF THE DIVISION AND TO PROVIDE THAT ALL JUDGES OF THE DIVISION SHALL RECEIVE THE SAME COMPENSATION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 5 of Chapter 23 of Section 1 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
SECTION 1-23-500. (A) There is created the South Carolina Administrative Law Judge Division, which is an agency of the executive branch of the government of this State. Effective March 1, 1994, the division shall initially consist of three administrative law judges and shall consist of a total of six administrative law judges, effective on February 1, 1995. The administrative law judges shall be part of the state employees retirement system.
(B) The Judicial Council is hereby directed to study the feasibility and constitutionality of making the South Carolina Administrative Law Judge Division a part of the unified judicial system established under Article V of the South Carolina Constitution and shall present a report of its study to the General Assembly and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by January 15, 1995.
SECTION 1-23-510. (A) The judges of the division must be elected by the General Assembly in joint session, for a term of five years and until their successors are elected and qualify; provided, that of those judges initially elected, the chief judge, elected to Seat 1 must be elected for a term of five years and serve as the initial chief judge, the judge elected to Seat 2 must be elected for a term of three years, the judge elected to Seat 3 must be elected for a term of one year. The remaining judges of the division must be elected for terms of office to begin February 1, 1995, for terms of five years and until their successors are elected and qualify; provided, that those judges elected to seats whose terms of office are to begin on February 1, 1995, to Seat 4 must be initially elected for a term of five years, the judge elected to Seat 5 must be initially elected for a term of three years, and the judge elected to Seat 6 must be initially elected for a term of one year. The terms of office of the judges of the division for Seats 1, 2, and 3 shall begin on March 1, 1994. The terms of office of the judges of the division for Seats 4, 5, and 6 shall begin on February 1, 1995. The terms of office of each of the seats shall terminate on the thirtieth day of June in the final year of the term for the respective seats. Effective July1, 2002 the position of chief judge must rotate among the administrative law judges. On July 1, 2002 the judge elected to Seat 2 shall assume the position of chief judge and remain chief judge for a period ending on June thirtieth two years thereafter. Subsequently, the judge assigned to Seat 3 and all other judges of the Division, in numerical order of their assigned seat, shall hold the position of chief judge for a period of two years on a continuously rotating basis.
(B) In electing administrative law judges, race, gender, and other demographic factors including age, residence, type of practice, and law firm size should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of this State.
(C) Before election as an administrative law judge, a candidate must undergo screening pursuant to the provisions of Section 2-19-10, et seq.
(D) Each seat on the division must be numbered. Elections are required to be for a specific seat. The office of chief administrative law judge is a separate and distinct office for the purpose of an election.
(E) In the event that there is a vacancy in the position of the chief administrative law judge or for any reason the chief administrative law judge is unable to act, his powers and functions must be exercised by the most senior administrative law judge next designated to become chief judge under the provisions of item (A) of this section as determined by the date of their election to the division.
SECTION 1-23-520. No person is eligible for the office of law judge of the division who does not at the time of his election meet the qualification for justices and judges as set forth in Article V of the Constitution of this State.
SECTION 1-23-525. No member of any General Assembly who is not otherwise prohibited from being elected to an administrative law judge position may be elected to such position while he is a member of the General Assembly and for a period of four years after he ceases to be a member of the General Assembly.
SECTION 1-23-530. The judges of the division shall qualify after the date of their election by taking the constitutional oath of office.
SECTION 1-23-540. The chief judges (Seat 1) shall receive as annual salary an amount equal to ninety percent of that paid to the circuit court judges of this State. The remaining judges shall receive as annual salary equal to eighty percent of that paid to the circuit court judges of this State. They are not allowed any fees or perquisites of office, nor may they hold any other office of honor, trust, or profit. Administrative law judges in the performance of their duties are also entitled to that per diem, mileage, expenses, and subsistence as is authorized by law for circuit court judges.
Each administrative law judge shall devote full time to his duties as an administrative law judge, and may not practice law during his term of office, nor may he during this term be a partner or associate with anyone engaged in the practice of law in this State.
SECTION 1-23-550. All vacancies in the office of administrative law judge must be filled in the manner of original appointment. When a vacancy is filled, the judge elected shall hold office only for the unexpired term of his predecessor.
SECTION 1-23-560. Administrative law judges are bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct, as contained in Rule 501 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules. The State Ethics Commission is responsible for enforcement and administration of those rules pursuant to Section 8-13-320.
SECTION 1-23-570. The judge holding the position of Chief Judge of the Administrative Law Judge Division is responsible for the administration of the division, including budgetary matters, assignment of cases, and the administrative duties and responsibilities of the support staff. The chief judge shall assign judges of the division to hear all cases of the various state departments and commissions for which it is responsible on a general rotation and interchange basis by scheduling and assigning administrative law judges based upon subject matter no less frequently than every six months.
SECTION 1-23-580. (A) A clerk of the division, to be appointed by the chief judge, must be appointed and is responsible for the custody and keeping of the records of the division. The clerk of the division shall perform those other duties as the chief judge may prescribe.
(B) Each administrative law judge may appoint, hire, contract, and supervise an administrative assistant as individually allotted and authorized in the annual general appropriations act.
(C) The other support staff of the division is as authorized by the General Assembly in the annual general appropriations act and shall be hired, contracted, and supervised by the chief judge. The division may engage stenographers for the transcribing of the proceedings in which an administrative law judge presides. It may contract for these stenographic functions, or it may use stenographers provided by the agency or commission.
SECTION 1-23-590. The General Assembly in the annual general appropriations act shall appropriate those funds necessary for the operation of the Administrative Law Judge Division.
SECTION 1-23-600. (A) A full and complete record shall be kept of all contested cases and regulation hearings before an Administrative Law Judge. All testimony shall be reported and need not be transcribed unless a transcript is requested by any party. The party requesting a transcript shall be responsible for the costs involved. Proceedings before Administrative Law Judges are open to the public unless confidentiality is allowed or required by law. The presiding Administrative Law Judge shall render the decision in a written order. The decisions or orders of these Administrative Law Judges are not required to be published but are available for public inspection unless the confidentiality thereof is allowed or required by law.
(B) An administrative law judge of the division shall preside over all hearings of contested cases as defined in Section 1-23-310 involving the departments of the executive branch of government in which a single hearing officer is authorized or permitted by law or regulation to hear and decide such cases, except those arising under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, those matters which are otherwise provided for in Title 56, or those other cases or hearings which are prescribed for or mandated by federal law or regulation, unless otherwise by law specifically assigned to the jurisdiction of the Administrative Law Judge Division.
(C) Departments shall notify the Administrative Law Judge Division of all pending contested cases. Upon notification, the chief judge shall assign an administrative law judge to each contested case.
(D) An administrative law judge of the division also shall preside over all hearings of appeals from final decisions of contested cases before professional and occupational licensing boards or commissions within the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation pursuant to Section 1-23-380.
(E) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, cases initiated before May 1, 1994, to which an administrative law judge would be assigned shall be heard and decided by a special hearing officer appointed by the governing authority of the appropriate department. A special hearing officer shall have the same duties and authority as an administrative law judge under the provisions of this article. Cases initiated on or after May 1, 1994, shall be heard and decided by an administrative law judge pursuant to the provisions of this article.
SECTION 1-23-610. (A) For quasi-judicial review of any final decision of an administrative law judge of cases involving departments governed by a board or commission authorized to exercise the sovereignty of the State, a petition by an aggrieved party must be filed with the appropriate board or commission and served on the opposing party not more than thirty days after the party receives the final decision and order of the administrative law judge. Appeal in these matters is by right. A party aggrieved by a final decision of a board in such a case is entitled to judicial review of that decision by the Circuit Court under the provisions of (A) of this section and pursuant to Section 1-23-610(C).
(B) For judicial review of any final decision of an administrative law judge of cases involving departments governed by the single director, a petition by an aggrieved party must be filed with the Circuit Court and served on the opposing party not more than thirty days after the party receives the final decision and order of the administrative law judge. Appeal in these matters is by right.
(C) For judicial review of any final decision of an administrative law judge of cases involving professional and occupational licensing boards within the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, a petition by an aggrieved party must be filed with the Circuit Court and served on the opposing party not more than thirty days after the party receives the final decision and order of the administrative law judge. Appeal in these matters is by right.
(D) The review of the administrative law judge's order must be confined to the record. The reviewing tribunal may affirm the decision or remand the case for further proceedings; or it may reverse or modify the decision if the substantive rights of the petitioner has been prejudiced because of the finding, conclusion, or decision is:
(a) in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions;
(b) in excess of the statutory authority of the agency;
(c) made upon unlawful procedure;
(d) affected by other error of law;
(e) clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative and substantial evidence on the whole record; or
(f) arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion.
Where appropriations in the annual general appropriations act, or where fees, fines, forfeitures or revenues imposed or collected by agencies or commissions were required to be used for the hearing of contested cases, such appropriations or monies must continue to be used for these purposes after the effective date of this article.
SECTION 1-23-630. Each of the law judges of the division has the same power at chambers or in open hearing, as do circuit court judges, and to issue those remedial writs as are necessary to give effect to its jurisdiction.
SECTION 1-23-640. The division shall maintain its principal offices in the City of Columbia. However, judges of the division shall hear contested cases at the offices or location of the involved department or commission as prescribed by the agency or commission, at the division's offices, or at suitable locations outside the City of Columbia as determined by the chief judge.
SECTION 1-23-650. Rules governing the internal administration and operations of the administrative law judge division shall be:
(1) proposed by the chief judge of the division and adopted by a majority of the judges of the division; or
(2) proposed by any judge of the division and adopted by seventy-five percent of the judges of the division.
Rules governing practice and procedure before the division which are:
(1) consistent with the rules of procedure governing civil actions in courts of common pleas; and
(2) not otherwise expressed in Chapter 23 of Title 1 of the 1976 Code; shall upon approval by a majority of the judges of the division be promulgated by the division, and shall be subject to review as are rules of procedure promulgated by the Supreme Court under Article V of the Constitution.
SECTION 1-23-660. Any contested case docketed for hearing before a board or commission abolished by this act shall continue to be under the jurisdiction of such board or commission until the case reaches final disposition at a hearing, with any ruling or adjudication of the board or commission binding. The rules of procedure and review for such boards or commissions in effect on the date of filing of the pending action shall remain in effect until the final disposition of the pending action, other provisions of this chapter notwithstanding. Where a contested case pending before a board or commission abolished by this act is continued under the jurisdiction of such board or commission as provided in this section and where that board or commission is abolished as provided by this act, that board or commission notwithstanding such provision abolishing it shall nevertheless continue in existence for the sole purpose of conducting and bringing to final disposition all such cases. Where any member of that board or commission has assumed another office after the abolition of that board or commission, he shall be considered an ex officio member of his former board or commission for the purposes of this paragraph. Any member of a board or commission abolished who continues to serve in the manner and for the purposes provided by this paragraph is entitled to receive only that mileage, per diem, and subsistence paid to members of state boards, commissions, and committees."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor
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