Opinion ID: 1196968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Right of Relinquishment

Text: Kirbens contends that Wyoming statute compels the Board to accept his voluntary relinquishment of his medical license and prohibits a hearing when a license is voluntarily relinquished. He asserts that the Board's refusing to accept the voluntary relinquishment of his license and conducting the contested case hearing was contrary to law. The applicable statute, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 33-26-404(a) and (b) (LEXIS 1999), states: (a) A licensee may request the Board, in writing, to accept the voluntary relinquishment, restriction or suspension of his license. The Board may accept the relinquished license, grant the request for restriction or suspension, attach conditions to the license or waive the commencement of any proceedings under this article. Removal of a voluntary relinquishment, restriction or suspension is subject to the procedure for reinstatement of a license as provided in this article. (b) Unless the licensee has voluntarily relinquished or restricted his license, the Board shall conduct any proceeding to deny, refuse to renew or reinstate, revoke, restrict or suspend a license on the grounds that a licensee is impaired or has engaged in errant conduct as a contested case under the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act. (emphasis added). The Board refers us to the discretionary language used in the statute and its discretionary power to accept or reject a relinquishment found in the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Disciplinary Complaints Against Physicians of the Board at Chapter 4, Section 4(h). An issue of statutory interpretation presents a question of law. Butts v. Wyoming State Bd. of Architects, 911 P.2d 1062, 1065 (Wyo.1996); Parker Land & Cattle Co. v. Wyo. Game and Fish Comm'n, 845 P.2d 1040, 1042 (Wyo.1993). In interpreting statutes, we primarily determine the legislature's intent. State ex rel. Motor Vehicle Div. v. Holtz, 674 P.2d 732, 736 (Wyo.1983). If the language is sufficiently clear, we do not resort to rules of construction. Id. We apply our general rule that we look to the ordinary and obvious meaning of a statute when the language is unambiguous. Parker Land, 845 P.2d at 1042. Plainly, in stating that a licensee may request the Board to accept his voluntary relinquishment, this statutory language authorizes such a procedure; yet, providing that the Board may accept that relinquishment grants the Board the discretionary authority to accept or reject it. In the event that a voluntary relinquishment is neither made nor accepted, the statute directs the Board that it shall proceed with the particular disciplinary proceeding as a contested case hearing. Acting within its statutory discretion to reject Kirbens' request to voluntarily relinquish his license, the Board was statutorily required to hold a contested case hearing. The Board's order denying the request for relinquishment and stay of contested case proceedings was not contrary to law.