(a) In making an investigation or inquiry, or conducting a hearing, the Commissioner shall not be bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence or by technical or formal rule of procedure, except as provided by this Title, but may make such investigation or inquiry, or conduct such hearing in such manner as to best ascertain the rights of the parties. Declarations of a deceased employee concerning the injury in respect of which the
investigation or inquiry is being made, or the hearing conducted, shall be received in evidence and shall, if corroborated by other evidence, be sufficient to establish the injury. (b) Hearings before the Commissioner shall be open to the public and shall be recorded. The Commissioner shall, by regulation, provide for the preparation of a record of the hearings and other proceedings before the Commissioner. SOURCE: GC § 37023. Subsection (b) amended by P.L. 26-011:1 (May 18, 2001). 2020 NOTE: Past publications of the GCA included the following as part of the Source note: “to eliminate the need for attorneys to preside over hearings and to place this duty with the Commissioner.” This language will not be included in future publications of the Source annotation.