Subdivision 1. Notice. A consent, notice, or recommendation made by the board must be filed with the agency. The filing is notice of the board's action. The board's rules may provide for a notice, in addition to filing by mail, posting, publication, or otherwise, to inform parties and interested persons of the board's actions.
Subd. 2. Subpoena. (a) To implement sections 103A.301 to 103A.341, the chair of the board or a board member may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and compel the production of books, records, and other evidence.
(b) Disobedience of a subpoena, refusal to be sworn, or refusal to answer as a witness, is punishable as a contempt of the district court. The board or a board member must file a complaint of the disobedience with the district court of the county where the disobedience occurred.
(c) Witnesses receive the same fees and mileage as in civil actions.
(d) Persons must be sworn before testifying and the right to examine or cross-examine is the same as in civil actions.
Subd. 3. Hearings. Hearings must be public, conducted by the board or an authorized board member, and affected persons have the opportunity to be heard. The board must provide a stenographer to take the testimony and proceedings at the hearings must be recorded and preserved. Hearings must be conducted as much as practicable in the same way as civil actions.
Subd. 4. Position of state agencies. State agencies may adopt opposite positions on the matter before the board when full advocacy will assist in disclosing the public interest.
History:1990 c 391 art 1 s 18