Opinion ID: 2266291
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Administrative Agency Law

Text: Appellant first maintains that he is entitled to an administrative hearing under Section 504 of the Administrative Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S. § 504, because his dismissal from his Special Investigator III position constituted an adjudication by a Commonwealth agency which affected a property right or privilege. Section 504 of the Administrative Agency Law provides for an administrative review of a Commonwealth agency where said decision constitutes an adjudication. [6] While appellees admit that appellant was not afforded an administrative hearing on his termination, they argue that appellant was not entitled to a hearing because the decision to dismiss him from his Special Investigator III position did not constitute an adjudication as defined in Section 101 of the Administrative Law and Procedure Act. Under Section 101, an adjudication is defined in relevant part as: [A]ny final order, decree, decision, determination or ruling by an agency affecting personal or property rights, privileges, immunities, duties, liabilities or obligations of any or all of the parties to the proceedings in which the adjudication is made. 2 Pa.C.S. § 101. Thus, in order for appellant's dismissal to have been an adjudication which would entitle him to an Administrative Agency Law hearing, appellant must establish that his dismissal affected some personal or property right, privilege or immunity. A governmental employee only has a personal or property right in his employment where he can establish a legitimate expectation of continued employment through either a contract or a statute. Id.; Gough v. Borough of Norristown, 66 Pa. Commw. 401, 403, 444 A.2d 839, 840 (1982). Here, appellant is admittedly a non-union, non-civil service employee. Appellant cannot, therefore, point to any statute or employment contract which would guarantee him continued employment as a Special Investigator III. See Pivarnik v. Commonwealth, Dep't of Transportation, 82 Pa. Commw. 42, 45, 474 A.2d 732, 734 (1984) (non-union, non-civil service public employee cannot claim statutory right to continued governmental employment). Despite being an at-will employee, appellant asserts that the decision to dismiss him from employment was an adjudication which entitled him to an administrative hearing because the Governor's Code of Conduct, 4 Pa.Code §§ 7.171-7.179, created a legitimate expectation of continued employment sufficient to convey a personal or property right in his continued employment. [7] We find this contention to be without merit. The Governor's Code of Conduct, 4 Pa.Code §§ 7.171-7.179, is not a statute. Instead, it was promulgated through Executive Order 1980-18 and has been codified in the Pennsylvania Code. Only executive orders that have been authorized by the Constitution or promulgated pursuant to statutory authority have the force of law which could establish a personal or property right in continued employment. Pagano v. Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, 50 Pa. Commw. 499, 502, 413 A.2d 44, 45 (1980), affirmed, 499 Pa. 214, 452 A.2d 1015 (1982); Shapp v. Butera, 22 Pa. Commw. 229, 234-35, 348 A.2d 910, 913-14 (1975). While the Governor may issue executive orders absent such authority, these executive orders will not be enforced by the courts. Pagano, supra at 502, 413 A.2d at 45. Here, the portion of the Governor's Code of Conduct which appellant relies upon was not promulgated to either implement or supplement the Governor's powers under the Pennsylvania Constitution. Moreover, this Court finds no statute that authorizes the Governor to issue a directive granting a governmental employee an entitlement of continued employment to a non-union position not included within the civil service system. Thus, this Court concludes that the Governor's Code of Conduct is an executive order which does not have the force of law sufficient to confer a personal or property interest in continued employment upon appellant. Accordingly, this claim must fail. Appellant alternatively argues that his dismissal constituted an adjudication requiring an administrative hearing because Article VI, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution creates a property interest in continued employment. Article VI, Section 7 provides that appointed civil or public officers may be removed at the pleasure of the power by which they shall be appointed. Appellant argues that since his dismissal was not done by his appointing authority, a property right was implicated that entitled him to an administrative hearing. Initially, we note that appellant fails to develop how Article VI, Section 7 creates a property right in his continued employment. Assuming arguendo that such a property right is implicated, petitioner could not avail himself of its protection. Article VI, Section 7 expressly provides that it only applies to appointed civil or public officers. A person will be deemed a public officer if the person is appointed or elected to perform duties of a grave and important character, and which involve some of the functions of government, for a definite term. Snyderwine v. Craley, 434 Pa. 349, 354, 254 A.2d 16, 19-20 (1969). Here, appellant offers no evidence suggesting that his Special Investigator III position was for a definite term or that his position involved duties of a grave and important character that involved some function of government. See Snyderwine, supra (solicitor of township of the first class is a public officer since he is one elected or appointed to perform duties of grave and important character for the benefit of the public during a definite term); Reese v. Danforth, 486 Pa. 479, 483-84, 406 A.2d 735, 738 (1979) (fact that public defenders and county solicitors are in positions which are publicly funded and authorized by statute does not compel conclusion that they are public officers). Thus, appellant's argument that Article VI, Section 7 provides a personal or property right in continued employment must fail. Appellant next argues that his dismissal constituted an adjudication entitling him to an administrative hearing under Section 504 because at a minimum, public employment is a personal privilege. [8] This issue was addressed in Hecknauer v. Coder, 32 Pa. Commw. 308, 379 A.2d 638 (1977). In Hecknauer, the issue of whether a city zoning administrator should have been afforded an administrative hearing on his discharge under Section 2(1) of the Local Agency Law, 53 P.S. § 11302(1). Section 2(1) was a prior codification of the Local Agency Law which afforded a hearing for an adjudication and it used the same definition of adjudication currently contained in Section 101 of the Administrative Law and Procedure Act. The Hecknauer court found that a city administrator, who was discharged from his at-will position, did not have an interest in his continued employment which could constitute a privilege. Thus, the Hecknauer court found that the at-will city employee was not entitled to administrative hearing. Like Hecknauer, we find that appellant has failed to plead facts sufficient to establish that his interest in continued employment as a Special Investigator III constitutes a privilege. Thus, no adjudication occurred which would entitle appellant to an Administrative Law hearing. Based on the above, we conclude that the Commonwealth Court properly sustained appellees' preliminary objections to appellant's claim that his dismissal constituted an adjudication entitling him to an administrative hearing because appellant failed to plead facts sufficient to establish a property right or privilege in his continued employment. Thus, appellant's claims regarding his entitlement to a post-discharge hearing under Section 504 of the Administrative Agency Law must fail.