Sec. 0.351  Authority delegated.

    The Chief Administrative Law Judge shall act on the following 
matters in proceedings conducted by hearing examiners:
    (a) Initial specifications of the time and place of hearings where 
not otherwise specified by the Commission and excepting actions under 
authority delegated by Sec. 0.296.
    (b) Designation of the hearing examiner to preside at hearings.
    (c) Orders directing the parties or their attorneys to appear at a 
specified time and place before the hearing examiner for an initial 
prehearing conference in accordance with Sec. 1.251(a) of this chapter. 
(The administrative law judge named to preside at the hearing may order 
an initial prehearing conference although the Chief Administrative Law 
Judge may not have seen fit to do so and may order supplementary 
prehearing conferences in accordance with Sec. 1.251(b) of this 
chapter.)
    (d) Petitions requesting a change in the place of hearing where the 
hearing is scheduled to begin in the District of Columbia or where the 
hearing is scheduled to begin at a field location and all appropriate 
proceedings at that location have not been completed. (See Sec. 1.253 of 
this chapter.) However, if all parties to a proceeding concur in holding 
all hearing sessions in the District of Columbia rather than at any 
field location, the presiding administrative law judge may act on the 
request.
    (e) In the absence of the administrative law judge who has been 
designated to preside in a proceeding, to discharge the administrative 
law judge's functions.
    (f) All pleadings filed, or matters which arise, after a proceeding 
has been designated for hearing, but before a law judge has been 
designated, which would otherwise be acted upon by the law judge, 
including all pleadings filed, or matters which arise, in cease and 
desist and/or revocation proceedings prior

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to the designation of a presiding officer.
    (g) All pleadings (such as motions for extension of time) which are 
related to matters to be acted upon by the Chief Administrative Law 
Judge.
    (h) If the administrative law judge designated to preside at a 
hearing becomes unavailable, to order a rehearing or to order that the 
hearing continue before another administrative law judge and, in either 
case, to designate the judge who is to preside.
    (i) The consolidation of related proceedings pursuant to 
Sec. 1.227(a) of this chapter, after designation of those proceedings 
for hearing.
[ 29 FR 6443 , May 16, 1964, as amended at  37 FR 19372 , Sept. 20, 1972;  38 FR 30559 , Nov. 6, 1973;  43 FR 49307 , Oct. 23, 1978;  44 FR 76295 , Dec. 
26, 1979]