The administrative law judge shall have all the powers necessary to conduct fair, expeditious, and impartial hearings as provided in 5 U.S.C. 556(c). In addition, the administrative law judge shall have the power to:
(a) Change the time, place, or date of the hearing;
(b) Enter a default decision against a party failing to appear at a hearing unless the party shows good cause by contacting the administrative law judge either prior to the hearing or within 2 days after the scheduled hearing and presenting arguments as to why the party or the party's representative could not appear; and
(c) Take any appropriate action authorized by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (28 U.S.C. appendix).
[62 FR 17543, Apr. 10, 1997, as amended at 89 FR 47852, June 4, 2024]