Article 3.
Administrative Hearings.
§ 150B‑22. Settlement; contested case.
It is the policy of this State that any dispute between an agency andanother person that involves the person's rights, duties, or privileges,including licensing or the levy of a monetary penalty, should be settledthrough informal procedures. In trying to reach a settlement through informalprocedures, the agency may not conduct a proceeding at which sworn testimony istaken and witnesses may be cross‑examined. If the agency and the otherperson do not agree to a resolution of the dispute through informal procedures,either the agency or the person may commence an administrative proceeding todetermine the person's rights, duties, or privileges, at which time the disputebecomes a "contested case." (1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 1022, s. 1(11); 1991, c. 418, s. 16.)