Alaska Administrative Code › Title 3 - Commerce, Community, and Economic Development › Part 7 - Regulatory Commission of Alaska › Chapter 48 - Practice and Procedure › Article 1 - Practice Before the Commission › 3 AAC 48.140 - Conferences

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) Informal conferences of the parties
				  involved in an informal complaint or formal proceeding or of their authorized
				  representatives may be held at any time to provide opportunity for the
				  settlement, adjustment, clarification or resolution of any issues or problems
				  relating to any matter whatever. Informal conferences may be initiated by the
				  parties or by the commission or members of its staff. Any decision, or
				  agreement, resulting from an informal conference may, if necessary, be
				  presented to the commission by an authorized spokesman for the conferees and
				  the commission may take whatever action thereon it deems appropriate.
(b) Upon call by a presiding officer, on
				  motion by any party, or on the commission's own initiative, a pre-hearing
				  conference of the parties or their attorneys or authorized representatives may
				  be held at any time to expedite the orderly conduct and disposition of a
				  hearing. Any member of the commission may attend a pre-hearing conference, and
				  shall conduct the conference if elected to do so by the commission.
				  Alternatively, the commission will appoint as chair of the pre-hearing
				  conference a presiding officer, a hearing examiner, a hearing officer, an
				  administrative law judge, an employee of the commission, or legal counsel
				  representing the commission, and will direct that person to conduct and preside
				  over the pre-hearing conference and report the results to the commission. If a
				  pre-hearing conference is called while a hearing is in session with all parties
				  either present or represented, oral notice of the time and place of the
				  conference is sufficient. Otherwise, notice of the time and place of the
				  conference must be given to each party, in writing, with due regard and
				  consideration to the convenience of the parties.
(c) By direction of the presiding officer, a
				  pre-hearing conference may be conducted on or off the record. In addition to
				  any pertinent matter considered previously at an informal conference, each
				  conferee will be encouraged to present any factual contentions and theories in
				  support of the conferee's pleading or position in the proceeding and, in
				  addition, to consider and, if possible, agree upon other matters including
(1) the simplification, delineation, and
				  limitation of matters involving issues of fact and questions of law;
(2) the identification and numbering of
				  exhibits;
(3) the exchange and
				  acceptance of service of exhibits, including exhibits containing written
				  testimony proposed to be offered in evidence;
(4) the obtaining of admission as to, or
				  stipulation of, facts not remaining in dispute;
(5) the necessity or desirability of
				  amendments to pleadings for purposes of clarification, amplification, or
				  limitation;
(6) limitation of the
				  number of witnesses;
(7) the
				  feasibility of consolidating the examination of witnesses;
(8) the procedure of the hearing;
(9) the possibility of settlement and the use
				  of alternative dispute resolution; and
(10) any other matter that may expedite the
				  orderly conduct and disposition of the proceeding.