(A) In addition to the grounds for disciplinary action provided in § 40-1-110, the board may revoke, suspend, or otherwise restrict a licensee‘s right to practice or reprimand or otherwise discipline a licensee if, upon a satisfactory showing to the board, the licensee:

(1) has used a false, fraudulent, or forged statement or document or practiced a fraudulent, deceitful, or dishonest act in connection with any of the licensing, registration, or certificate requirements of the board;

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 40-23-110

  • Administrator: means the individual to whom the director has delegated authority to administer the programs of a specific board or of a professional or occupational group for which the department has regulatory authority or has delegated authority to administer the programs of a specific board;

    (2) "Authorization to practice" or "Practice authorization" means the approval to practice the specified profession, engage in the specified occupation, or use a title protected under this article, which has been granted by the applicable board. See South Carolina Code 40-1-20
  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Board: means the South Carolina Environmental Certification Board. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Department: means the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation;

    (5) "Director" means the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation or the director's official designee;

    (6) "Licensee" means a person granted an authorization to practice pursuant to this article and refers to a person holding a license, permit, certification, or registration granted pursuant to this article;

    (7) "Licensing act" means the individual statute or regulations, or both, of each regulated profession or occupation which include, but are not limited to, board governance, the qualifications and requirements for authorization to practice, prohibitions, and disciplinary procedures;

    (8) "Person" means an individual, partnership, or corporation;

    (9) "Profession" or "occupation" means a profession or occupation regulated or administered, or both, by the department pursuant to this article. See South Carolina Code 40-1-20
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • License: means a serially numbered document issued by the board, containing the name of the person registered, certified, or licensed and the date of registration, certification, or licensing and certifying that the person named is authorized to practice a profession regulated by the board as specified on said document. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Licensed activity: means any operation, function, or action of any kind in which one may not engage, or offer to engage, without a license issued pursuant to this chapter. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Licensee: means a person currently or previously authorized to practice a licensed activity pursuant to this chapter and includes a person holding a license, permit, certification, or registration granted pursuant to this chapter. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, copartnership, cooperative, firm, company, public or private corporation, political subdivision, government agency, trust, estate, joint structure company, or any other legal entity or its legal representative, agent, or assigns. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Safe Drinking Water Act: means Article 1, Chapter 55 of Title 44. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • Well: means a manmade horizontal, vertical, or angled opening in the ground made by digging, boring, drilling, jetting, driving, direct push technology, or any other method through which water is injected or withdrawn from beneath the surface of the earth for the purpose of human consumption, irrigation, industrial or commercial processes, or construction of closed loop systems. See South Carolina Code 40-23-20

(2) has practiced while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to such a degree as to affect adversely the licensee’s ability to practice;

(3) uses alcohol or drugs to such a degree as to affect adversely the licensee’s ability to practice;

(4) has knowingly performed an act which in any way assists a person to practice illegally;

(5) has sustained physical or mental impairment or disability which renders further practice by the licensee dangerous to the public;

(6) has violated the principles of ethics as adopted by the board in regulation;

(7) is guilty of obtaining fees or assisting in obtaining fees under deceptive, false, or fraudulent circumstances;

(8) is guilty of the use of intentionally false or fraudulent statements in a document connected with his work;

(9) is guilty of misrepresentation or the omission of a material fact in a transaction involving the public, the board, or any government entity with authority to regulate actions performed in the course of a licensed activity;

(10) is guilty of making a false or fraudulent representation or of engaging in a deceitful practice in offering, selling, or providing a product or service;

(11) is guilty of engaging in dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct that is likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public;

(12) has been found by the board to lack the professional or ethical competence to practice a licensed activity;

(13) has engaged in substandard work or is guilty of gross negligence in the course of a licensed activity;

(14) has engaged in a pattern of failure to perform pursuant to an oral or written contract, in the course of a licensed activity or has failed to timely pay employees or suppliers;

(15) has failed to timely abate or remediate deficient or substandard work after receiving notice of deficient or substandard work from regulating authorities including, but not limited to, the board, the department, or the Department of Health and Environmental Control;

(16) has violated a provision of this chapter or of the State Safe Drinking Water Act or a regulation or standard adopted pursuant to this chapter or the State Safe Drinking Water Act;

(17) has knowingly violated a statute, regulation, or ordinance that in any way controls, regulates, limits, or affects the performance of an action associated with a licensed activity;

(18) failed to obtain a license before doing business in this State;

(19) has been convicted of, or has pled guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony or to any other crime involving fraud, moral turpitude, or drugs or to any criminal violation of any law that controls, regulates, limits, or affects the performance of any action associated with a licensed activity. For purposes of this section, "drugs" includes a substance whose possession, use, or distribution is governed by § 44-53-110 through § 44-53-580 or which is listed in the current edition of the Physician’s Desk Reference;

(20) has incurred any disciplinary sanction including, but not limited to, a denial, revocation, suspension, or restriction of a license to practice a profession or occupation in any state or jurisdiction if the disciplinary action taken in the state or jurisdiction is based upon grounds that would constitute misconduct under this section or § 40-1-110 ;

(21) has constructed or supervised the construction of any well in violation of the bonding requirements of this chapter.

(B) In addition to all other remedies and actions incorporated in this chapter, the certificate, registration, or license of a licensee adjudged mentally incompetent by a court of proper jurisdiction is deemed automatically suspended upon the adjudication until he is adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction or in any manner provided by law as being restored to mental capacity.

(C) The license of a person who is convicted of, or who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, a crime stated in item (19) of subsection (A) must be immediately suspended pending hearing and final action of the board. A license suspended under this subsection must be reinstated immediately upon the filing of a certificate that the conviction has been reversed. The reinstatement does not terminate a disciplinary action pending against the person.

(D) Acts or omissions by a licensee causing the imposition of a disciplinary sanction including, but not limited to, a denial, revocation, suspension, or restriction of a licensee to practice a profession or occupation in another state or jurisdiction supports the issuance of a formal complaint and the commencement of disciplinary proceedings under this chapter if the disciplinary action taken in another state is based on grounds that would constitute misconduct under this section or § 40-1-110. Proof of these acts or omissions may be shown by a copy of the transcript of record of the disciplinary proceedings in another state or a copy of the final order, consent order, or similar order stating the basis for the action taken. For purposes of this section, a certified true copy of the documents is admissible evidence without further foundation.

No later than thirty days after a licensee’s receipt of a formal complaint alleging that the licensee has been disciplined in another state or jurisdiction, the licensee must file an answer to the complaint with the administrator of the board, and include for the board copies of all transcripts, documents, and orders used, relied upon, or issued by the authority imposing the alleged discipline.

If the licensee fails to produce these items within thirty days of the board’s formal complaint the board may suspend the individual’s license until such time as the items have been supplied to the board.

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