SENATE BILL No. 479

 

 

September 11, 2013, Introduced by Senator JANSEN and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1980 PA 299, entitled

 

"Occupational code,"

 

by amending sections 411 and 601 (MCL 339.411 and 339.601), section

 

411 as amended by 2008 PA 309 and section 601 as amended by 2008 PA

 

319, and by adding section 205b; and to repeal acts and parts of

 

acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 205b. R 339.601 of the Michigan administrative code is

 

rescinded.

 

     Sec. 411. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a person who that

 

fails to renew a license or registration on or before the

 

expiration date shall not practice the occupation, operate, or use

 

the title of that occupation after the expiration date printed on

 

the license or registration. A license or registration shall lapse

 


on the day after the expiration date.

 

     (2) A person who that fails to renew a license or registration

 

on or before the expiration date shall be is permitted to renew the

 

license or registration by payment of the required license or

 

registration fee and a late renewal fee within 60 days after the

 

expiration date.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in this act, a person who

 

that fails to renew a license or registration within the time

 

period set forth in subsection (2) may be relicensed or

 

reregistered without examination and without meeting additional

 

education or training requirements in force at the time of

 

application for relicensure or reregistration if all of the

 

following conditions are met:

 

     (a) The person applies within 3 years after the expiration

 

date of the last license or registration.

 

     (b) The person pays an application processing fee, the late

 

renewal fee, and the per year license or registration fee for the

 

upcoming licensure or registration period, subject to subsection

 

(8).

 

     (c) Penalties and Any penalties or conditions imposed by

 

disciplinary action in this state or any other jurisdiction have

 

been satisfied.

 

     (d) The person submits proof of having completed the

 

equivalent of 1 year of continuing education within the 12 months

 

immediately preceding the date of application or as otherwise

 

provided in a specific article or by rule, if continuing education

 

is required of licensees or registrants under a specific article.

 


     (4) Except as otherwise provided in this act, a person may be

 

relicensed or reregistered subsequent to 3 or more years after the

 

expiration date of the last license or registration upon showing if

 

the person shows that the person meets the requirements for

 

licensure or registration as established by the department in rules

 

or procedures, which may require a person to pass all or part of a

 

required examination, to complete continuing education

 

requirements, or to meet current education or training

 

requirements.

 

     (5) Unless otherwise provided in this act, a person who that

 

seeks reinstatement of a license or registration shall file an

 

application on a form provided by the department, pay the

 

application processing fee, and file a petition to the department

 

and the appropriate board stating reasons for reinstatement and

 

including evidence that the person can and is likely to serve the

 

public in the regulated activity with competence and in conformance

 

with all other requirements prescribed by law, rule, or an order of

 

the department or board. The procedure to be followed in for

 

conducting the review of a petition for reinstatement is prescribed

 

in article 5. If approved for reinstatement, the person shall pay

 

the per year license or registration fee for the upcoming license

 

or registration period if appropriate, in addition to completing

 

any requirements imposed in accordance with under section 203(2).

 

     (6) Beginning July 23, 2004, the The department shall issue an

 

initial or renewal license or registration not later than 90 days

 

after the applicant files a completed application. Receipt of the

 

The application is considered received on the date the application

 


is received by any agency or department of the this state. of

 

Michigan. If the application is considered incomplete by the

 

department, the department shall notify the applicant in writing,

 

or make information electronically available, within 30 days after

 

receipt of the incomplete application, describing the deficiency

 

and requesting the additional information. The 90-day period is

 

tolled upon notification by from the date the department notifies

 

the applicant of a deficiency until the date the requested

 

information is received by the department. The determination of the

 

completeness of an application does not operate as an approval of

 

the application for the license or registration and does not confer

 

eligibility of an applicant determined otherwise ineligible for

 

issuance of a license or registration.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding the time periods described in subsection

 

(6), in the case of a real estate broker and associate broker

 

licensed under article 25, the time period for approval by the

 

department of a completed application is 30 days and the time

 

period for notification sent in writing, or made electronically

 

available, by the department to the applicant regarding an

 

incomplete application is 15 days after the receipt of the

 

application by any agency or department of the this state. of

 

Michigan.

 

     (8) If the department fails to issue or deny a license or

 

registration within the time required by this section, the

 

department shall return the license or registration fee, and shall

 

reduce the license or registration fee for the applicant's next

 

renewal application, if any, by 15%. The A failure to issue or deny

 


a license or registration within the time required under this

 

section does not allow the department to otherwise delay the

 

processing of the application, and the department shall place that

 

application, upon completion, shall be placed when completed, in

 

sequence with other completed applications received at that same

 

time. The department shall not discriminate against an applicant in

 

the processing of an application based upon on the fact that the

 

license or registration fee was refunded or discounted under this

 

subsection.

 

     (9) Beginning October 1, 2005, the The director shall submit a

 

report by December 1 of each year to the standing committees and

 

appropriations subcommittees of the senate and house of

 

representatives concerned with occupational issues. The director

 

shall include all of the following information in the report

 

concerning the preceding fiscal year:

 

     (a) The number of initial and renewal applications the

 

department received and completed within the 90-day time period

 

described in subsection (6) and the 30-day time period described in

 

subsection (7).

 

     (b) The number of applications denied by the department.

 

     (c) The number of applicants not issued a license or

 

registration within the applicable time period and the amount of

 

money returned to licensees and registrants under subsection (8).

 

     (10) Subsection (6) does not apply to licenses or

 

registrations a license or registration for any of the following:

 

     (a) An interior designer listed under article 6.

 

     (a) (b) A certified public accountant and registered

 


accountant under article 7.

 

     (b) (c) An agency non-owner manager of a collection agency

 

under article 9.

 

     (c) (d) A barber, student barber, student instructor, and or

 

barber instructor under article 11.

 

     (d) (e) An employment and consulting agent of a personnel

 

agency under article 10.

 

     (e) (f) A cosmetologist, manicurist, natural hair culturist,

 

esthetician, electrologist, instructor, and or registered student

 

under article 12.

 

     (f) (g) A hearing aid salesperson and trainee under article

 

13.

 

     (g) (h) A mortuary science licensee, embalmer, and or resident

 

trainee in mortuary science under article 18.

 

     (h) (i) An individual architect, surveyor, and or engineer

 

under article 20.

 

     (i) (j) A forester under article 21.

 

     (j) (k) An individual landscape architect under article 22.

 

     (k) (l) A community planner under article 23.

 

     (l) (m) An individual residential builder and alteration and

 

maintenance contractor and or a salesperson for a residential

 

builder and alteration and maintenance contractor under article 24.

 

     (m) (n) A real estate salesperson under article 25.

 

     (n) (o) A real estate appraiser under article 26.

 

     (o) (p) An ocularist and or ocularist apprentice under article

 

27.

 

     (11) Notwithstanding any provision in this act to the

 


contrary, an individual or qualifying officer who is a licensee or

 

registrant under this act and who is mobilized for military duty in

 

the armed forces of the United States by the president of the

 

United States is temporarily exempt from the any renewal license

 

fee, continuing education requirements, and any or other related

 

requirements of this act applicable to that license or

 

registration. It is the obligation of the licensee or registrant to

 

inform the department by written or electronic mail of the desire

 

to exercise the temporary exemption under this subsection. If the

 

licensee applying for the temporary exemption is the individual

 

responsible for supervision and oversight of licensed activities,

 

the licensee shall provide notice of arrangements for adequate

 

provision of that supervision and oversight shall be provided to

 

the department. The licensee or registrant shall accompany the

 

request with proof, as determined by the department, to verify the

 

mobilized duty status. The department, upon receiving If it

 

receives a request for a temporary exemption under this subsection,

 

the department shall make a determination of the requestor's status

 

and grant the temporary exemption after verification of mobilized

 

duty status under this subsection. A temporary exemption is valid

 

until 90 days after the licensee's or registrant's release from the

 

mobilized duty upon on which the exemption was based, but shall not

 

exceed 36 months from the date of expiration of the license or

 

registration.

 

     (12) As used in this section, "completed application" means an

 

application that is complete on its face and submitted with any

 

applicable licensing or registration fees as well as and any other

 


information, records, approval, security, or similar item required

 

by law or rule from a local unit of government, a federal agency,

 

or a private entity but not from another department or agency of

 

the this state. of Michigan.

 

     Sec. 601. (1) A person shall not engage in or attempt to

 

engage in the practice of an occupation regulated under this act or

 

use a title designated in this act unless the person possesses a

 

license or registration issued by the department for the

 

occupation.

 

     (2) A school, institution, or person shall not operate or

 

attempt to operate a barber college, school of cosmetology, or real

 

estate school unless the school, institution, or person is licensed

 

or approved by the department.

 

     (3) Subject to section 411, a person whose license or

 

registration is suspended, revoked, or lapsed, as determined by the

 

records of the department, is considered unlicensed or

 

unregistered.

 

     (4) Except as otherwise provided for in section 735, a person,

 

school, or institution that violates subsection (1) or (2) is

 

guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than

 

$500.00, or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.

 

     (5) Except as otherwise provided for in section 735, a person,

 

school, or institution that violates subsection (1) or (2) a second

 

or any subsequent time is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a

 

fine of not more than $1,000.00, or imprisonment for not more than

 

1 year, or both.

 

     (6) Notwithstanding subsections (4) and (5), a person not

 


licensed under article 24 as a residential builder or a residential

 

maintenance and alteration contractor who that violates subsection

 

(1) or (2) is guilty as follows:

 

     (a) In the case of a first offense, a misdemeanor punishable

 

by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or more than $25,000.00, or

 

imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.

 

     (b) In the case of a second or subsequent offense, a

 

misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or more

 

than $25,000.00, or imprisonment for not more than 2 years, or

 

both.

 

     (c) In the case of an offense that causes death or serious

 

injury, a felony punishable by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or

 

more than $25,000.00, or imprisonment for not more than 4 years, or

 

both.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding subsections (4) and (5), a person that is

 

not licensed under article 20 as an architect, professional

 

engineer, or professional land surveyor who and that violates

 

subsection (1) or (2) is guilty as follows:

 

     (a) In the case of a first offense, a misdemeanor punishable

 

by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or more than $25,000.00 or

 

imprisonment for not more than 93 days, or both.

 

     (b) In the case of a second or subsequent offense, a

 

misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or more

 

than $25,000.00 or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.

 

     (c) In the case of an offense that causes death or serious

 

injury, a felony punishable by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or

 

more than $25,000.00 or imprisonment for not more than 4 years, or

 


both.

 

     (8) Any conviction for a violation of this act shall include a

 

requirement that restitution be made, based upon on proofs

 

submitted to and findings made by the trier of fact as provided by

 

law.

 

     (9) Notwithstanding the existence and pursuit of any other

 

remedy, an affected person may maintain injunctive action to

 

restrain or prevent a person from violating subsection (1) or (2).

 

If successful in obtaining injunctive relief, the affected person

 

shall be is entitled to actual costs and attorney fees.

 

     (10) This act does not apply to a person engaging in or

 

practicing the following:

 

     (a) Interior design.

 

     (b) Residential building design. As used in this subdivision,

 

"residential building design" means the rendering of residential

 

design services for a detached 1- and 2-family residence building

 

by a person exempted from the requirements of section 2012.

 

     (c) Any activity for which the person is licensed under the

 

state plumbing act, 2002 PA 733, MCL 338.3511 to 338.3569.

 

     (d) Any activity for which the person is licensed under the

 

Forbes mechanical contractors act, 1984 PA 192, MCL 338.971 to

 

338.988.

 

     (e) Any activity for which the person is licensed under the

 

electrical administrative act, 1956 PA 217, MCL 338.881 to 338.892.

 

     (11) As used in subsection (9), "affected person" means a

 

person directly affected by the actions of a person suspected of

 

violating subsection (1) or (2) and includes, but is not limited

 


to, a licensee or registrant, a board established pursuant to under

 

this act, the department, a person who that has utilized the

 

services of the person engaging in or attempting to engage in an

 

occupation regulated under this act or using a title designated by

 

this act without being licensed or registered by the department, or

 

a private association composed primarily of members of the

 

occupation in which the person is engaging in or attempting to

 

engage in or in which the person is using a title designated under

 

this act without being registered or licensed by the department.

 

     (12) An investigation may be conducted under article 5 to

 

enforce this section. A person who that violates this section shall

 

be is subject to this section and sections 506, 602, and 606.

 

     (13) The department, the attorney general, or a county

 

prosecutor may utilize forfeiture as a remedy in the manner

 

provided for in section 606.

 

     (14) The remedies under this section are independent and

 

cumulative. The use of 1 remedy by a person shall does not bar the

 

use of other lawful remedies by that person or the use of a lawful

 

remedy by another person.

 

     (15) An interior designer may perform services in connection

 

with the design of interior spaces including preparation of

 

documents relative to finishes, systems furniture, furnishings,

 

fixtures, equipment, and interior partitions that do not affect the

 

building mechanical, structural, electrical, or fire safety

 

systems.

 

     (15) (16) Upon entering a conviction under subsection (4),

 

(5), or (6), a court entering the conviction shall notify, by mail,

 


facsimile transmission, or electronic mail, the bureau of

 

commercial services at the department.

 

     Enacting section 1. Section 601a of the occupational code,

 

1980 PA 299, MCL 339.601a, is repealed.