{"data":{"id":"us/46-cfr-221.71","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"46 CFR 221.71","heading":"Hearing Officer referral.","body":"If, pursuant to § 221.67(b)(2) of this subpart, a Party elects to have the matter referred to a Hearing Officer, the Vessel Transfer Officer may—\n(a) Decide not to proceed with penalty action, close the case, and notify the Party in writing that the case has been closed; or\n(b) Refer the matter to a Hearing Officer with the case file and a record of any prior violations by the Party.","path":["Title 46—Shipping","CHAPTER II—MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION","SUBCHAPTER B—REGULATIONS AFFECTING MARITIME CARRIERS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES","PART 221—REGULATED TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING DOCUMENTED VESSELS AND OTHER MARITIME INTERESTS","Subpart E—Civil Penalties"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-46.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:26:22Z","sha256":"0b763e9ce253e2967b3d22e22275a08c15136212bf69ee07bb08ee8378c26978","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/46-cfr-221.69","next":"us/46-cfr-221.73"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}