Section 1025.68 - Prohibited communications(a)Applicability. This section is applicable during the period commencing with the date of issuance of a complaint and ending upon final Commission action in the matter.(b)Definitions -(1)Decision-maker. Those Commission personnel who render decisions in adjudicative proceedings under these rules, or who advise officials who render such decisions, including: (i) The Commissioners and their staffs;(ii) The Administrative Law Judges and their staffs;(iii) The General Counsel and his/her staff, unless otherwise designated by the General Counsel.(2)Ex parte communication.(i) Any written communication concerning a matter in adjudication which is made to a decision-maker by any person subject to these Rules, which is not served on all parties; or(ii) Any oral communication concerning a matter in adjudication which is made to a decision-maker by any person subject to these Rules, without advance notice to all parties to the proceedings and opportunity for them to be present.(c)Prohibited ex parte communications. Any oral or written ex parte communication relative to the merits of any proceedings under these Rules is a prohibited ex parte communication, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section.(d)Permissible ex parte communications. The following communications shall not be prohibited under this section.(1)Ex parte communications authorized by statute or by these rules. (See, for example, § 1025.38 which governs applications for the issuance of subpoenas.)(2) Any staff communication concerning judicial review or judicial enforcement in any matter pending before or decided by the Commission.(e)Procedures for handling prohibited ex parte communication - (1)Prohibited written ex parte communication. To the extent possible, a prohibited written ex parte communication received by any Commission employee shall be forwarded to the Secretary rather than to a decision-maker. A prohibited written ex parte communication which reaches a decision-maker shall be forwarded by the decision-maker to the Secretary. If the circumstances in which a prohibited ex parte written communication was made are not apparent from the communication itself, a statement describing those circumstances shall be forwarded with the communication.(2)Prohibited oral ex parte communication.(i) If a prohibited oral ex parte communication is made to a decision-maker, he/she shall advise the person making the communication that the communication is prohibited and shall terminate the discussion; and(ii) In the event of a prohibited oral ex parte communication, the decision-maker shall forward to the Secretary a signed and dated statement containing such of the following information as is known to him/her.(A) The title and docket number of the proceedings;(B) The name and address of the person making the communication and his/her relationship (if any) to the parties and/or participants to the proceedings;(C) The date and time of the communication, its duration, and the circumstances (e.g., telephone call, personal interview, etc.) under which it was made;(D) A brief statement of the substance of the matters discussed; and(E) Whether the person making the communication persisted in doing so after being advised that the communication was prohibited.(3)Filing. All communications and statements forwarded to the Secretary under this section shall be placed in a public file which shall be associated with, but not made a part of, the record of the proceedings to which the communication or statement pertains.(4)Service on parties. The Secretary shall serve a copy of each communication and statement forwarded under this section on all parties to the proceedings. However, if the parties are numerous, or if other circumstances satisfy the Secretary that service of the communication or statement would be unduly burdensome, he/she, in lieu of service, may notify all parties in writing that the communication or statement has been made and filed and that it is available for insection and copying.(5)Service on maker. The Secretary shall forward to the person who made the prohibited ex parte communication a copy of each communication or statement filed under this section.(f)Effect of ex parte communications. No prohibited ex parte communication shall be considered as part of the record for decision unless introduced into evidence by a party to the proceedings.(g)Sanctions. A person subject to these Rules who make, a prohibited ex parte communication, or who encourages or solicits another to make any such communication, may be subject to any appropriate sanction or sanctions, including but not limited to, exclusion from the proceedings and an adverse ruling on the issue which is the subject of the prohibited communication.