71-6321. Administration of act; rules and regulations; department; powers and duties.

(1) The department shall administer the Residential Lead-Based Paint Professions Practice Act.

(2) The department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out such act. The department shall adopt state standards governing abatement projects and may adopt or incorporate part or all of any federal standards in such state standards so long as state standards are no less stringent than federal standards.

(3) The department shall prescribe fees based upon the following schedule:

(a) For an annual firm license or license renewal, not less than two hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars;

(b) For accreditation of a training program, not less than one thousand dollars or more than two thousand five hundred dollars, which fee shall include one onsite inspection if such inspection is required by the department;

(c) For accreditation of a review course or a course on Nebraska law, rules, and regulations, not less than five hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars, which fee shall include one onsite inspection if such inspection is required by the department;

(d) For onsite inspections other than initial inspections, not less than one hundred fifty dollars or more than two hundred fifty dollars. Such fees shall not be assessed for more than three onsite inspections per year during the period an actual abatement project is in progress; and

(e) For a project review of each abatement project of a licensed firm, not less than two hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars.

Any business applicant whose application is rejected shall be allowed the return of the application fee, except that an administrative charge of one hundred dollars for a firm license and for accreditation of a training program shall be retained by the department.

All fees shall be based on the costs of administering the act. In addition to the fees prescribed in this section, the department may charge and receive the actual costs for board, room, and travel by employees in excess of three hundred dollars, which costs shall not exceed the amounts allowable in sections 81-1174 to 81-1177. All such fees collected by the department shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Health and Human Services Cash Fund. Money credited to the fund pursuant to this section shall be used by the department for the purpose of administering the act.

(4) At least once a year during the continuation of an abatement project the department shall conduct an onsite inspection of each licensed firm's procedures for performing abatement projects.

(5) The department may enter into agreements or contracts with public agencies to conduct any inspections required under the act if such agencies have the appropriate licensure or accreditation as described in the act.

(6) The department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations defining work practices for abatement projects, for the licensure of lead-based paint professions, for the accreditation of training programs, for the accreditation of training program providers, for the dissemination of prerenovation information to homeowners and occupants, for the facilitation of compliance with federal lead-based paint hazard control grant programs, and for the implementation of lead-based paint compliance monitoring and enforcement activities. The department may provide for alternatives to specific work practices when the health, safety, and welfare of all classes of lead-based paint professions and the general public are adequately protected.

(7) The department may apply for and receive funds from the federal government and any other public or private entity for the purposes of administering the act. Any funds applied for, received, or used by the department or any political subdivision from the federal government or any public entity may be used only to abate lead-based paint hazards and for the administration of lead-based paint programs which address health and environmental hazards caused by lead-based paint.

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