CHILD WELFARE MANUAL

210.245 Violations and penalties

Violations, penalties — prosecutor may file suit to oversee or prevent operation of day care center — attorney general may seek injunction, when. — 1.  Any person who violates any provision of sections 210.201 to 210.245, or who for such person or for any other person makes materially false statements in order to obtain a license or the renewal thereof pursuant to sections 210.201 to 210.245, shall be guilty of an infraction for the first offense and shall be assessed a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars and shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor and shall be assessed a fine of up to two hundred dollars per day, not to exceed a total of ten thousand dollars for subsequent offenses.  In case such guilty person is a corporation, association, institution or society, the officers thereof who participate in such misdemeanor shall be subject to the penalties provided by law.

  2.  If the department of health and senior services proposes to deny, suspend, place on probation or revoke a license, the department of health and senior services shall serve upon the applicant or licensee written notice of the proposed action to be taken.  The notice shall contain a statement of the type of action proposed, the basis for it, the date the action will become effective, and a statement that the applicant or licensee shall have thirty days to request in writing a hearing before the administrative hearing commission and that such request shall be made to the department of health and senior services.  If no written request for a hearing is received by the department of health and senior services within thirty days of the delivery or mailing by certified mail of the notice to the applicant or licensee, the proposed discipline shall take effect on the thirty-first day after such delivery or mailing of the notice to the applicant or licensee.  If the applicant or licensee makes a written request for a hearing, the department of health and senior services shall file a complaint with the administrative hearing commission within ninety days of receipt of the request for a hearing.

  3.  The department of health and senior services may issue letters of censure or warning without formal notice or hearing.  Additionally, the department of health and senior services may place a licensee on probation pursuant to chapter 621.

  4.  The department of health and senior services may suspend any license simultaneously with the notice of the proposed action to be taken in subsection 2 of this section, if the department of health and senior services finds that there is a threat of imminent bodily harm to the children in care.  The notice of suspension shall include the basis of the suspension and the appeal rights of the licensee pursuant to this section.  The licensee may appeal the decision to suspend the license to the department of health and senior services.  The appeal shall be filed within ten days from the delivery or mailing by certified mail of the notice of appeal.  A hearing shall be conducted by the department of health and senior services within ten days from the date the appeal is filed.  The suspension shall continue in effect until the conclusion of the proceedings, including review thereof, unless sooner withdrawn by the department of health and senior services, dissolved by a court of competent jurisdiction or stayed by the administrative hearing commission.  Any person aggrieved by a final decision of the department made pursuant to this section shall be entitled to judicial review in accordance with chapter 536.

  5.  In addition to initiating proceedings pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, or in lieu thereof, the prosecuting attorney of the county where the child-care facility is located may file suit for a preliminary and permanent order overseeing or preventing the operation of a child-care facility for violating any provision of sections 210.201 to 210.245.  The order shall remain in force until such a time as the court determines that the child-care facility is in substantial compliance.  If the prosecuting attorney refuses to act or fails to act after receipt of notice from the department of health and senior services, the department of health and senior services may request that the attorney general seek an injunction of the operation of such child-care facility.

  6.  In cases of imminent bodily harm to children in the care of a child-care facility, the department may file suit in the circuit court of the county in which the child-care facility is located for injunctive relief, which may include removing the children from the facility, overseeing the operation of the facility or closing the facility.

(L. 1955 p. 685, A.L. 1993 H.B. 376, A.L. 1999 H.B. 490 & H.B. 308, A.L. 2012 H.B. 1323)