(a) A hearing under this subchapter shall be heard by an administrative law judge employed by the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
(b) The State Office of Administrative Hearings shall provide for the stenographic or electronic recording of the hearing.

(c) The department and chief administrative law judge of the State Office of Administrative Hearings shall adopt and at least biennially update a memorandum of understanding establishing that the State Office of Administrative Hearings has primary scheduling responsibility for a hearing under this subchapter. The memorandum of understanding must, at a minimum:
(1) set out the roles and responsibilities of the State Office of Administrative Hearings and the department in scheduling a hearing under this subchapter, including which agency is responsible for scheduling each stage of a hearing;
(2) ensure that the State Office of Administrative Hearings and the department have timely access to scheduling and continuance information; and
(3) provide for the transfer of funding for department employees responsible for scheduling hearings under this subchapter from the department to the State Office of Administrative Hearings when the State Office of Administrative Hearings assumes responsibility for initial scheduling of hearings under this subchapter.
(d) The State Office of Administrative Hearings and the department shall consult with the Department of Information Resources and the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System in developing any information technology solutions needed to complete the transfer of scheduling responsibilities, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding adopted under Subsection (c).