(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood may (1) refuse to license under § 19a-87b, a person to own, conduct, operate or maintain a family child care home, as defined in § 19a-77, (2) refuse to approve under § 19a-87b, a person to act as an assistant or substitute staff member in a family child care home, as defined in § 19a-77, or (3) suspend or revoke the license or approval or take any other action that may be set forth in regulation that may be adopted pursuant to § 19a-79 if the person who owns, conducts, maintains or operates the family child care home, the person who acts as an assistant or substitute staff member in a family child care home, a person employed in such family child care home in a position connected with the provision of care to a child receiving child care services or a household member, as defined in subsection (c) of § 19a-87b, who is sixteen years of age or older and resides therein, has been convicted, in this state or any other state of a felony, as defined in § 53a-25, involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person, or has a criminal record in this state or any other state that the commissioner reasonably believes renders the person unsuitable to own, conduct, operate or maintain or be employed by a family child care home, or act as an assistant or substitute staff member in a family child care home, or if such persons or a household member has been convicted in this state or any other state of cruelty to persons under § 53-20, injury or risk of injury to or impairing morals of children under § 53-21, abandonment of children under the age of six years under § 53-23, or any felony where the victim of the felony is a child under eighteen years of age, a violation of § 53a-70b of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2019, or § 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 53a-73a, illegal manufacture, distribution, sale, prescription, dispensing or administration under § 21a-277 or 21a-278, or illegal possession under § 21a-279, or if such person, a person who acts as assistant or substitute staff member in a family child care home or a person employed in such family child care home in a position connected with the provision of care to a child receiving child care services, either fails to substantially comply with the regulations adopted pursuant to § 19a-87b, or conducts, operates or maintains the home in a manner which endangers the health, safety and welfare of the children receiving child care services. Any refusal of a license or approval pursuant to this section shall be rendered in accordance with the provisions of sections 46a-79 to 46a-81, inclusive. Any person whose license or approval has been revoked pursuant to this section shall be ineligible to apply for a license or approval for a period of one year from the effective date of revocation.

(b) When the commissioner intends to suspend or revoke a license or approval or take any other action against a license or approval set forth in regulation adopted pursuant to § 19a-79, the commissioner shall notify the licensee or approved staff member in writing of the commissioner’s intended action. The licensee or approved staff member may, if aggrieved by such intended action, make application for a hearing in writing over the licensee’s or approved staff member’s signature to the commissioner. The licensee or approved staff member shall state in the application in plain language the reasons why the licensee or approved staff member claims to be aggrieved. The application shall be delivered to the commissioner within thirty days of the licensee’s or approved staff member’s receipt of notification of the intended action. The commissioner shall thereupon hold a hearing within sixty days from receipt of such application and shall, at least ten days prior to the date of such hearing, mail a notice, giving the time and place of the hearing, to the licensee or approved staff member. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the denial of an initial application for a license or approval under § 19a-87b, provided the commissioner shall notify the applicant of any such denial and the reasons for such denial by mailing written notice to the applicant at the applicant’s address shown on the license or approval application.

(c) Any person who is licensed to conduct, operate or maintain a family child care home or approved to act as an assistant or substitute staff member in a family child care home shall notify the commissioner of any conviction of the owner, conductor, operator or maintainer of the family child care home or of any household member, as defined in subsection (c) of § 19a-87b, who is sixteen years of age or older, or any person employed in such family child care home in a position connected with the provision of care to a child receiving child care services, of a crime which affects the commissioner’s discretion under subsection (a) of this section, immediately upon obtaining knowledge of such conviction. Failure to comply with the notification requirement of this subsection may result in the suspension or revocation of the license or approval or the taking of any other action against a license or approval set forth in regulation adopted pursuant to § 19a-79 and shall subject the licensee or approved staff member to a civil penalty of not more than one hundred dollars per day for each day after the person obtained knowledge of the conviction.

(d) It shall be a class A misdemeanor for any person seeking employment in a position connected with the provision of care to a child receiving family child care home services to make a false written statement regarding prior criminal convictions pursuant to a form bearing notice to the effect that such false statements are punishable, which statement such person does not believe to be true and is intended to mislead the prospective employer.

(e) Any person having reasonable cause to believe that a family child care home, as defined in § 19a-77, is operating without a current and valid license or in violation of the regulations adopted under § 19a-87b or in a manner which may pose a potential danger to the health, welfare and safety of a child receiving child care services, may report such information to the Office of Early Childhood. The office shall investigate any report or complaint received pursuant to this subsection. The name of the person making the report or complaint shall not be disclosed unless (1) such person consents to such disclosure, (2) a judicial or administrative proceeding results from such report or complaint, or (3) a license action pursuant to subsection (a) of this section results from such report or complaint. All records obtained by the office in connection with any such investigation shall not be subject to the provisions of § 1-210 for a period of thirty days from the date of the petition or other event initiating such investigation, or until such time as the investigation is terminated pursuant to a withdrawal or other informal disposition or until a hearing is convened pursuant to chapter 54, whichever is earlier. A formal statement of charges issued by the office shall be subject to the provisions of § 1-210 from the time that it is served or mailed to the respondent. Records which are otherwise public records shall not be deemed confidential merely because they have been obtained in connection with an investigation under this section.

(f) If the commissioner finds that public health, safety or welfare imperatively requires emergency action, and incorporates a finding to that effect in his or her order, the commissioner may order summary suspension or summary probation of a license issued under § 19a-87b pending proceedings for revocation or other action. These proceedings shall be promptly instituted and determined.