(8).

183.417 (8).

����� (2) Only persons who have a knowledge of administrative law and procedure may be employed by the chief administrative law judge as administrative law judges. The chief administrative law judge by rule may establish additional qualifications for administrative law judges employed for the office. [1999 c.849 �5; 2003 c.75 �4; 2007 c.659 ��3,6]

����� 183.620 Contract administrative law judges. (1) The chief administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings may contract for the services of persons to act as administrative law judges.

����� (2) Contract administrative law judges shall meet the same qualifications as administrative law judges regularly employed by the chief administrative law judge and shall be paid at an hourly rate comparable to the per hour cost of salary and benefits for administrative law judges regularly employed by the chief administrative law judge and conducting similar hearings. [1999 c.849 �6; 2003 c.75 �5]

����� 183.625 Assignment of administrative law judges; conduct of hearings. (1) In assigning an administrative law judge to conduct hearings on behalf of an agency, the chief administrative law judge shall, whenever practicable, assign an administrative law judge that has expertise in the legal issues or general subject matter of the proceeding.

����� (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of state law, any agency that is required to use administrative law judges assigned from the Office of Administrative Hearings to conduct hearings must delegate responsibility for the conduct of the hearing to an administrative law judge assigned from the Office of Administrative Hearings, and the hearing may not be conducted by the administrator, director, board, commission or other person or body charged with administering the agency.

����� (3) Any agency may authorize an administrative law judge assigned to conduct a hearing on behalf of the agency under this section to enter a final order for the agency.

����� (4) An agency that is not required to use administrative law judges assigned from the office may contract with the chief administrative law judge for the assignment of an administrative law judge from the office for the purpose of conducting one or more contested cases on behalf of the agency. [1999 c.849 �7; 2003 c.75 �6]

����� 183.630 Model rules of procedure; exemptions; depositions. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, all contested case hearings conducted by administrative law judges assigned from the Office of Administrative Hearings must be conducted pursuant to the model rules of procedure prepared by the Attorney General under ORS