A. The Department of Human Services may revoke or deny issuance of the license of any child care facility found to be in violation of any provision of this act or the rules of the Department, as provided in Section 404 of this title.

B. 1. No license shall be revoked or issuance denied unless and until such time as the licensee or applicant shall have been given at least thirty (30) days' notice in writing of the grounds of the proposed revocation or denial.

2. At the time the facility is given notice in writing of the revocation or denial of a license, the Department shall also advise parents of children attending the facility and the child care resource and referral organization within one (1) business day of such action by verbal, electronic, or written notification and the posting of an announcement in the facility.

3. If the revocation or denial is protested within thirty (30) days of receipt of notice, by writing addressed to the Department, the Department, or its authorized agency, shall conduct a hearing at which an opportunity shall be given to the licensee or applicant to present testimony and confront witnesses.

4. Notice of the hearing shall be given to the licensee or applicant by personal service or by delivery to the proper address by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least two (2) weeks prior to the date thereof.

5. If notice of the proposed revocation or denial of a license is not protested, the license shall be revoked or denied.

C. 1. Nothing in this section or Section 406 of this title shall be construed as preventing the Department from taking emergency action as provided by this subsection.

2. For the purposes of this subsection, "emergency" means a situation that poses a direct and serious threat to the health, safety, or welfare of any child cared for by the facility.

3. Whenever the Department finds, after an investigation, that an emergency exists requiring immediate action to protect the health, safety, or welfare of any child cared for by a facility licensed, authorized, or providing unlicensed care except as exempted by the provisions of the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act, the Department may without notice or hearing issue an emergency order stating the existence of such an emergency and requiring that such action be taken as it deems necessary to meet the emergency including, when necessary, removing children from the facility and prohibiting the facility from providing services to children pending a hearing on the matter.

a.An emergency order shall be effective immediately. Any person to whom an emergency order is directed shall comply with the emergency order immediately but, upon written request to the Department on or before the tenth day after receipt of the emergency order, shall be afforded a hearing on or before the tenth day after receipt of the request by the Department.

b.On the basis of such hearing, the Department shall continue the order in effect, revoke it, or modify it.

c.Any person aggrieved by the order continued after the hearing provided for in this subsection may appeal to the district court of the area affected within ten (10) days. The appeal when docketed shall have priority over all cases pending on the docket, except criminal cases.

D. The Department shall establish a process to review the initial determination of the closure of a facility due to an emergency pursuant to the licensing requirements promulgated by the Department.

E. The Department shall continue to monitor any facility whose license has been revoked, denied, or who has had an emergency order issued for a period of thirty (30) days after the action becomes final.

F. In addition to any other remedy authorized by this act, a CLEET-certified officer may issue a citation for a violation of any provision of this act or rules of the Department as provided in Section 404 of this title. The fine shall not be less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for every day the facility maintains and receives children after:

1. An emergency order has been issued; or

2. An application for a license has been denied or the license has been revoked.

G. One-half (1/2) of the funds collected pursuant to subsection F of this section shall be deposited in the Quality of Care Development Fund established in Section 10 of this act and one-half (1/2) shall be retained by the law enforcement agency represented by the CLEET-certified officer.

Added by Laws 1953, p. 19, § 7. Amended by Laws 1963, c. 89, § 7, emerg. eff. May 23, 1963; Laws 1993, c. 122, § 7, emerg. eff. April 29, 1993; Laws 1999, c. 130, § 3, emerg. eff. April 26, 1999; Laws 2001, c. 174, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2001; Laws 2008, c. 296, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2008; Laws 2013, c. 308, § 10, eff. Nov. 1, 2013.