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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="7-910" title_number="7" title_name="Developmental Disabilities Law" subtitle_number="9" subtitle_name="Licensing">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Department shall deny a license to any applicant or suspend or revoke a license if the applicant or licensee fails to comply with the applicable laws, rules, or regulations of this State.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department may impose sanctions, including a civil money penalty, for failure by a licensee to substantially comply with applicable State laws, regulations, or rules.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Department shall adopt rules and regulations providing for the sanctions to be imposed under this subsection.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>A civil money penalty imposed under this subsection may not exceed $5,000.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>In establishing the amount of a civil money penalty imposed under this subsection, the Department shall consider, under guidelines established in the regulations adopted under paragraph (2) of this subsection:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The number, nature, and seriousness of the violations;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The degree of risk caused by the violations to the health, life, or safety of the individual served by the licensee;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The efforts made by the licensee to correct the violations;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Any history of similar violations;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Whether the amount of the proposed civil money penalty will jeopardize the financial ability of the licensee to continue serving individuals; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Any other reasonable factors as determined by the Department.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>If a civil money penalty is proposed, the Department shall offer the licensee an opportunity for informal dispute resolution.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>If, following the opportunity for informal dispute resolution, a civil money penalty is imposed, the Department shall provide:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Written notice of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The basis on which the order is made;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The deficiency on which the order is based;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>The amount of the civil money penalty to be imposed; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>The manner in which the amount of the civil money penalty was calculated; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>An opportunity for a hearing as provided under subsection (e) of this section.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>The Department shall have the burden of proof with respect to the imposition of a civil money penalty under this subsection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Any applicant or licensee who knowingly and willfully makes a false statement in connection with an application under this subtitle shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000, or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year, or both.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Department may impose a penalty not exceeding $500 per day per violation for each day a violation occurs on a licensee that fails to comply with the reporting requirements established under § 7–306.1(l) of this title.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>Except as otherwise provided in § 10–226 of the State Government Article and subsection (f) of this section, before the Department takes any action against an applicant or a licensee under this section, the Department shall give the applicant or licensee notice and an opportunity for a hearing.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If the Department finds that the public health, safety, or welfare of individuals with disabilities receiving services from a licensee imperatively requires emergency action, the Department may suspend the license or order a licensee to remedy immediately the situation requiring the emergency action.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The order to remedy immediately the situation shall be effective immediately and shall remain in effect until:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Department rescinds the order; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>There is a resolution through the administrative hearing process.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If the Department issues an order under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Department promptly shall give the licensee:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Written notice of the order, the finding, and the reasons that support the finding; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>An opportunity to be heard.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
