What is the Hearing Panel?

What is the Hearing Panel?

• A. A panel comprised of PCB Ethics Committee members with a responsibility to hear and make recommendations in accordance with the Code of Ethical Conduct.
• B. The Board of Directors.
• C. A single hearing officer.
• D. A panel of clients.

Answer: (A)

The Hearing Panel is a group formed from PCB Ethics Committee members who are charged with hearing ethics complaints and making recommendations in line with the Code of Ethical Conduct. This panel conducts the formal proceedings, reviews evidence, may hear testimony, and then applies the standards of the Code to determine findings and appropriate recommendations. Their role is to provide impartial, structured adjudication rather than to set policy or act as the governing board. The Board of Directors is a governance body responsible for overall direction and oversight, not for conducting ethics hearings. A single hearing officer would not constitute a panel, which is about collaborative, deliberative decision-making. A panel of clients would lack the independence and professional oversight required for ethical review.

The Hearing Panel is a group formed from PCB Ethics Committee members who are charged with hearing ethics complaints and making recommendations in line with the Code of Ethical Conduct. This panel conducts the formal proceedings, reviews evidence, may hear testimony, and then applies the standards of the Code to determine findings and appropriate recommendations. Their role is to provide impartial, structured adjudication rather than to set policy or act as the governing board.

The Board of Directors is a governance body responsible for overall direction and oversight, not for conducting ethics hearings. A single hearing officer would not constitute a panel, which is about collaborative, deliberative decision-making. A panel of clients would lack the independence and professional oversight required for ethical review.