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<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".07" citation="COMAR 10.26.04.07" title_num="10" subtitle_num="26" chapter_num="04" heading="Summary Suspension of a License.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>Under State Government Article, §10-226(c)(2), Annotated Code of Maryland, the Board may order the summary suspension of a license if it determines that there is a substantial likelihood that a licensee poses a risk of harm to the public health, safety, or welfare.</text>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>Notice of Intent to Summarily Suspend.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Based on information gathered in an investigation or otherwise provided to the Board, the Board may vote to issue:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>A notice of an intent to summarily suspend a license; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>An order of summary suspension.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>If the Board votes to issue a notice of an intent to summarily suspend a license or an order of summary suspension, it shall refer the matter to the administrative prosecutor for prosecution.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>A notice of intent to summarily suspend a license shall include, but is not limited to:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>A proposed order of summary suspension which is unexecuted by the Board and which includes:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>The statutory authority on which the action has been taken;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Allegations of fact which the Board believes demonstrate a substantial likelihood that the licensee poses a risk of harm to the public health, safety, or welfare; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Notice to the respondent of the right to request a full hearing on the merits of the summary suspension if the Board executes the proposed order of summary suspension; and</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>An order or summons to appear before the Board to show cause why the Board should not execute the order of summary suspension and which notifies the respondent of the consequences of failing to appear.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>Service.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>The Board shall serve a respondent with a notice of intent to summarily suspend a license not later than 5 days before a predeprivation show cause hearing is scheduled before the Board.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Service of the notice of intent to summarily suspend shall be made:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Personally upon the respondent;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>By certified mail to the address the respondent is required to maintain with the Board; or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>By any other reasonable means to effect service.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>If the Board is unable to serve the notice of intent to summarily suspend a license upon the respondent as described in §B(4)(a) and (b) of this regulation, the Board may nevertheless proceed in prosecuting the case.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="C.">
    <text>Predeprivation Opportunity To Be Heard.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>If the Board issues a notice of intent to summarily suspend a license, the Board shall offer the respondent the opportunity to appear before the Board to show cause why the respondent's license should not be suspended before it executes the order of summary suspension.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>A Predeprivation Show Cause Hearing before the Board.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>The hearing shall be a nonevidentiary hearing to provide the parties with an opportunity for oral argument on the proposed summary suspension.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The Board member presiding over the hearing shall determine all procedural issues and may impose reasonable time limits on each party's oral argument.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>The presiding Board member shall make any rulings reasonably necessary to facilitate the effective and efficient operation of the hearing.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>The respondent and the administrative prosecutor shall each be limited to 30 minutes in which to present oral argument.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>The respondent shall proceed first and may reserve part of the allotted time for rebuttal.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>The Board member who presides over the hearing:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>May allow either the respondent or the administrative prosecutor to present documents or exhibits which are relevant and material to the proceedings and which are not unduly repetitious when the presiding Board member believes that the documents or exhibits are necessary in order for a fair hearing; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>May not allow testimony by any witness unless agreed to by the parties and approved by the Board in advance of the hearing.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>The members of the Board may be recognized by the presiding member to ask questions of either party appearing before the Board.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="D.">
    <text>Summary Suspension of a License without Prior Notice or an Opportunity To Be Heard.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>In extraordinary circumstances, the Board may, after consultation with Board counsel, order the summary suspension of a license without first issuing a notice of intent to summarily suspend the license or providing a respondent with an opportunity for a predeprivation hearing if:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>The Board determines that the public health, safety, or welfare requires the immediate suspension of the license and that prior notice and an opportunity to be heard is not feasible;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The order of summary suspension is served upon the respondent within 24 hours after its execution; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>The respondent is provided with an opportunity for a hearing before the Board within 15 days after the effective date of the summary suspension.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>If the respondent requests a hearing under §D(1)(c) of this regulation, the hearing shall be conducted before the Board as provided in §C(2) of this regulation and shall provide the respondent with an opportunity to show cause why the Board should lift the summary suspension and reinstate the license.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="E.">
    <text>Burdens of Production and Persuasion.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>In a show cause proceeding under §C of this regulation, the respondent may present argument in opposition to the allegations presented in the order for summary suspension or which otherwise demonstrates that the public health, safety, or welfare is not at risk.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The administrative prosecutor bears the burden of demonstrating by a preponderance of the evidence that the public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires the Board to summarily suspend the respondent's license.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="F.">
    <text>Disposition.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>If the Board issues a notice of intent to summarily suspend a license before summarily suspending a license, the Board may, after the show cause hearing, vote to:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Order a summary suspension;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Deny the summary suspension;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Enter into an order agreed upon by the parties; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Enter into any interim order warranted by the circumstances of the case, including one providing for a stay of the summary suspension subject to certain conditions.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>If the Board orders a summary suspension before a show cause hearing, it may, at the conclusion of the hearing, vote to:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Affirm its order of summary suspension;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Rescind the order for summary suspension;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Enter into an order agreed upon by the parties; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Enter into any interim order warranted by the circumstances of the case, including one providing for a stay of the summary suspension subject to certain conditions.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>An order for summary suspension or any other order of the Board issued after the initiation of summary suspension proceedings are final orders of the Board and public records under State Government Article, §10-611, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="G.">
    <text>Post-Deprivation Opportunity for an Evidentiary Hearing.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>If the Board orders the summary suspension of a license under §C or D of this regulation, the respondent may have an evidentiary hearing before the Board or before an administrative law judge, if the Board delegates the matter to the Office of Administrative Hearings.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The respondent may request an evidentiary hearing within 10 days after the Board issues the order of summary suspension.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, a hearing shall be provided within 45 days after respondent's request.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>An evidentiary hearing may be consolidated with a hearing on charges issued by the Board which include the facts which form the basis for the summary suspension.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>An evidentiary hearing shall be conducted under the contested case provisions of State Government Article, Title 10, Subtitle 2, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>If the Board has delegated the matter to the Office of Administrative Hearings, the administrative law judge shall issue to the Board a recommended decision with:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Proposed or final findings of fact;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Proposed or final conclusions of law;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>A proposed disposition; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Any combination of §G(6)(a) — (c) of this regulation under the Board's delegation of the matter to the Office of Administrative Hearings.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(7)">
      <text>If the hearing is one combined with charges, the administrative law judge's determination as to the merits of the summary suspension shall be based only on those parts of the record that were available to the Board at the time it voted for the summary suspension.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(8)">
      <text>The parties may file exceptions to the recommended decision as provided in State Government Article, §10-216, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(9)">
      <text>An order issued by the Board after a post-deprivation evidentiary hearing is a final order of the Board and is a public record under State Government Article, §10-611, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>