Sec. 14.052. RULES

(a) The commission shall adopt and enforce rules governing practice and procedure before the commission and, as applicable, practice and procedure before the utility division of the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

(b) The commission shall adopt rules that authorize an administrative law judge to:

(1) limit the amount of time that a party may have to present its case;

(2) limit the number of requests for information that a party may make in a contested case;

(3) require a party to a contested case to identify contested issues and facts before the hearing begins;

(4) limit cross-examination to only those issues and facts identified before the hearing and to any new issues that may arise as a result of the discovery process; and

(5) group parties, other than the office, that have the same position on an issue to facilitate cross-examination on that issue.

(c) A rule adopted under Subsection (b)(5) must permit each party in a group to present that party's witnesses for cross-examination during the hearing.

(d) A rule adopted under this section must ensure that each party receives due process.

Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 166, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.