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<section article="gbr" article_name="Business Regulation" number="20-307" title_number="20" title_name="Automated Purchasing Machines" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Licensing">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this subsection, a buyer’s or an applicant’s agents, employees, management personnel, or partners include only those individuals who are directly involved in transactions on behalf of the buyer or applicant.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Subject to the hearing provisions of § 20–308 of this subtitle, the Secretary may deny a license to an applicant, reprimand a licensee, or suspend or revoke a license if the applicant or licensee or an agent, an employee, a manager, or a partner of the applicant or licensee:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>fraudulently or deceptively obtains or attempts to obtain a license for the applicant or licensee or for another person;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>fraudulently or deceptively uses a license;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>has a similar license denied, suspended, or revoked in another jurisdiction;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>under the laws of the United States or of any state, is convicted of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>a felony; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>a misdemeanor that is directly related to the fitness and qualification of the applicant or licensee to be involved in buying or selling personal property;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>knowingly employs or knowingly continues to employ, after being notified by the Secretary, an individual who, under the laws of the United States or of any state, is convicted of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>a felony; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>a misdemeanor that is directly related to the fitness and qualification of the employee to be involved in buying or selling personal property;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>willfully fails to provide or willfully misrepresents any information required to be provided under this title;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>violates this title; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>violates a regulation adopted under this title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Instead of or in addition to reprimanding a licensee or suspending or revoking a license under this subsection, the Secretary may impose a penalty not exceeding $5,000 for each violation.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>To determine the amount of the penalty imposed under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>the seriousness of the violation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>the harm caused by the violation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>the good faith of the licensee; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>any history of previous violations by the licensee.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The Secretary shall pay any penalty collected under this subsection into the General Fund of the State.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>The Secretary shall distribute periodically to all buyers a list of individuals whose licenses have been revoked in the State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If a licensee is charged with a violation of this title that could result in suspension or revocation of the license, the Secretary may seek from a circuit court an immediate restraining order to prohibit the licensee from:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>buying or selling personal property;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>disposing of personal property; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>disposing of a record about personal property.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The restraining order is in effect until:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the court lifts the order; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the charges are adjudicated or dismissed.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Secretary shall consider the following facts in the granting, denial, renewal, suspension, or revocation of a license or the reprimand of a licensee when an applicant or a licensee is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor described in subsection (a)(2) of this section:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the nature of the crime;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the relationship of the crime to the activities authorized by the license;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>with respect to a felony, the relevance of the conviction to the fitness and qualification of the applicant or licensee to act as a buyer;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>the length of time since the conviction; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>the behavior and activities of the applicant or licensee before and after the conviction.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
