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 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]