Professions and vocations: fines: relief.

Under existing law, the Department of Consumer Affairs is under the control of the Director of Consumer Affairs and is comprised of various boards that license and regulate the practice of various professions and vocations. A violation of a regulatory act by a licensee can subject a licensee to discipline, including administrative penalties or citations, suspension, or revocation of the license. Existing law specifies that whenever any provision of law governing businesses and professions grants authority to issue a citation for a violation of a code provision, that authority also includes the authority to issue a citation for the violation of any regulation adopted pursuant to code. Under existing law, any board within the Department of Consumer Affairs, the board created by the Chiropractic Initiative Act, and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, is authorized to establish, by regulation, a system for the issuance to a licensee of a citation which may contain an order of abatement or an order to pay an administrative fine assessed by the board where the licensee is in violation of the applicable law. Existing law requires the system, whenever appropriate, to include a provision requiring the citation to contain an order of abatement fixing a reasonable time for abatement of the violation. This bill, except with regard to healing arts licensees, would instead require a citation containing an order to pay an administrative fine to contain an order of abatement fixing a period of no less than 30 days for abatement of the violation before the administrative fine becomes effective, as provided.