(225 ILCS 441/15-10)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2022)
Sec. 15-10. Grounds for disciplinary action.
(a) The Department may refuse to issue or renew, or may revoke, suspend, place on probation, reprimand, or take other disciplinary or non-disciplinary action as the Department may deem appropriate, including imposing fines not to exceed $25,000 for each violation, with regard to any license for any one or combination of the following:
(1) Fraud or misrepresentation in applying for, or
procuring a license under this Act or in connection with applying for renewal of a license under this Act.
(2) Failing to meet the minimum qualifications for
licensure as a home inspector established by this Act.
(3) Paying money, other than for the fees provided
for by this Act, or anything of value to an employee of the Department to procure licensure under this Act.
(4) Conviction by plea of guilty or nolo contendere,
finding of guilt, jury verdict, or entry of judgment or by sentencing of any crime, including, but not limited to, convictions, preceding sentences of supervision, conditional discharge, or first offender probation, under the laws of any jurisdiction of the United States: (i) that is a felony; (ii) that is a misdemeanor, an essential element of which is dishonesty, or that is directly related to the practice of the profession; or (iii) that is a crime that subjects the licensee to compliance with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration Act.
(5) Committing an act or omission involving
dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation with the intent to substantially benefit the licensee or another person or with the intent to substantially injure another person.
(6) Violating a provision or standard for the
development or communication of home inspections as provided in Section 10-5 of this Act or as defined in the rules.
(7) Failing or refusing to exercise reasonable
diligence in the development, reporting, or communication of a home inspection report, as defined by this Act or the rules.
(8) Violating a provision of this Act or the rules.
(9) Having been disciplined by another state, the
District of Columbia, a territory, a foreign nation, a governmental agency, or any other entity authorized to impose discipline if at least one of the grounds for that discipline is the same as or substantially equivalent to one of the grounds for which a licensee may be disciplined under this Act.
(10) Engaging in dishonorable, unethical, or
unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public.
(11) Accepting an inspection assignment when the
employment itself is contingent upon the home inspector reporting a predetermined analysis or opinion, or when the fee to be paid is contingent upon the analysis, opinion, or conclusion reached or upon the consequences resulting from the home inspection assignment.
(12) Developing home inspection opinions or
conclusions based on the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, or unfavorable military discharge, as defined under the Illinois Human Rights Act, of the prospective or present owners or occupants of the area or property under home inspection.
(13) Being adjudicated liable in a civil proceeding
on grounds of fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit. In a disciplinary proceeding based upon a finding of civil liability, the home inspector shall be afforded an opportunity to present mitigating and extenuating circumstances, but may not collaterally attack the civil adjudication.
(14) Being adjudicated liable in a civil proceeding
for violation of a State or federal fair housing law.
(15) Engaging in misleading or untruthful advertising
or using a trade name or insignia of membership in a home inspection organization of which the licensee is not a member.
(16) Failing, within 30 days, to provide information
in response to a written request made by the Department.
(17) Failing to include within the home inspection
report the home inspector's license number and the date of expiration of the license. All home inspectors providing significant contribution to the development and reporting of a home inspection must be disclosed in the home inspection report. It is a violation of this Act for a home inspector to sign a home inspection report knowing that a person providing a significant contribution to the report has not been disclosed in the home inspection report.
(18) Advising a client as to whether the client
should or should not engage in a transaction regarding the residential real property that is the subject of the home inspection.
(19) Performing a home inspection in a manner that
damages or alters the residential real property that is the subject of the home inspection without the consent of the owner.
(20) Performing a home inspection when the home
inspector is providing or may also provide other services in connection with the residential real property or transaction, or has an interest in the residential real property, without providing prior written notice of the potential or actual conflict and obtaining the prior consent of the client as provided by rule.
(21) Aiding or assisting another person in violating
any provision of this Act or rules adopted under this Act.
(22) Inability to practice with reasonable judgment,
skill, or safety as a result of habitual or excessive use or addiction to alcohol, narcotics, stimulants, or any other chemical agent or drug.
(23) A finding by the Department that the licensee,
after having his or her license placed on probationary status, has violated the terms of probation.
(24) Willfully making or filing false records or
reports in his or her practice, including, but not limited to, false records filed with State agencies or departments.
(25) Charging for professional services not rendered,
including filing false statements for the collection of fees for which services are not rendered.
(26) Practicing under a false or, except as provided
by law, an assumed name.
(27) Cheating on or attempting to subvert the
licensing examination administered under this Act.
(b) The Department may suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew an education provider's license, may reprimand, place on probation, or otherwise discipline an education provider licensee, and may suspend or revoke the course approval of any course offered by an education provider, for any of the following:
(1) Procuring or attempting to procure licensure by
knowingly making a false statement, submitting false information, making any form of fraud or misrepresentation, or refusing to provide complete information in response to a question in an application for licensure.
(2) Failing to comply with the covenants certified to
on the application for licensure as an education provider.
(3) Committing an act or omission involving
dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation or allowing any such act or omission by any employee or contractor under the control of the education provider.
(4) Engaging in misleading or untruthful advertising.
(5) Failing to retain competent instructors in
accordance with rules adopted under this Act.
(6) Failing to meet the topic or time requirements
for course approval as the provider of a pre-license curriculum course or a continuing education course.
(7) Failing to administer an approved course using
the course materials, syllabus, and examinations submitted as the basis of the course approval.
(8) Failing to provide an appropriate classroom
environment for presentation of courses, with consideration for student comfort, acoustics, lighting, seating, workspace, and visual aid material.
(9) Failing to maintain student records in compliance
with the rules adopted under this Act.
(10) Failing to provide a certificate, transcript, or
other student record to the Department or to a student as may be required by rule.
(11) Failing to fully cooperate with a Department
investigation by knowingly making a false statement, submitting false or misleading information, or refusing to provide complete information in response to written interrogatories or a written request for documentation within 30 days of the request.
(c) In appropriate cases, the Department may resolve a complaint against a licensee through the issuance of a Consent to Administrative Supervision order. A licensee subject to a Consent to Administrative Supervision order shall be considered by the Department as an active licensee in good standing. This order shall not be reported as or considered by the Department to be a discipline of the licensee. The records regarding an investigation and a Consent to Administrative Supervision order shall be considered confidential and shall not be released by the Department except as mandated by law. The complainant shall be notified that his or her complaint has been resolved by a Consent to Administrative Supervision order.
(d) The Department may refuse to issue or may suspend without hearing, as provided for in the Code of Civil Procedure, the license of any person who fails to file a tax return, to pay the tax, penalty, or interest shown in a filed tax return, or to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty, or interest, as required by any tax Act administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue, until such time as the requirements of the tax Act are satisfied in accordance with subsection (g) of Section 2105-15 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
(e) The Department shall deny a license or renewal authorized by this Act to a person who has defaulted on an educational loan or scholarship provided or guaranteed by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission or any governmental agency of this State in accordance with item (5) of subsection (a) of Section 2105-15 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
(f) In cases where the Department of Healthcare and Family Services has previously determined that a licensee or a potential licensee is more than 30 days delinquent in the payment of child support and has subsequently certified the delinquency to the Department, the Department may refuse to issue or renew or may revoke or suspend that person's license or may take other disciplinary action against that person based solely upon the certification of delinquency made by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in accordance with item (5) of subsection (a) of Section 2105-15 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
(g) The determination by a circuit court that a licensee is subject to involuntary admission or judicial admission, as provided in the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, operates as an automatic suspension. The suspension will end only upon a finding by a court that the patient is no longer subject to involuntary admission or judicial admission and the issuance of a court order so finding and discharging the patient.
(h) In enforcing this Act, the Department, upon a showing of a possible violation, may compel an individual licensed to practice under this Act, or who has applied for licensure under this Act, to submit to a mental or physical examination, or both, as required by and at the expense of the Department. The Department may order the examining physician to present testimony concerning the mental or physical examination of the licensee or applicant. No information shall be excluded by reason of any common law or statutory privilege relating to communications between the licensee or applicant and the examining physician. The examining physician shall be specifically designated by the Department. The individual to be examined may have, at his or her own expense, another physician of his or her choice present during all aspects of this examination. The examination shall be performed by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches. Failure of an individual to submit to a mental or physical examination, when directed, shall result in an automatic suspension without hearing.
A person holding a license under this Act or who has applied for a license under this Act, who, because of a physical or mental illness or disability, including, but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process or loss of motor skill, is unable to practice the profession with reasonable judgment, skill, or safety, may be required by the Department to submit to care, counseling, or treatment by physicians approved or designated by the Department as a condition, term, or restriction for continued, reinstated, or renewed licensure to practice. Submission to care, counseling, or treatment as required by the Department shall not be considered discipline of a license. If the licensee refuses to enter into a care, counseling, or treatment agreement or fails to abide by the terms of the agreement, the Department may file a complaint to revoke, suspend, or otherwise discipline the license of the individual. The Secretary may order the license suspended immediately, pending a hearing by the Department. Fines shall not be assessed in disciplinary actions involving physical or mental illness or impairment.
In instances in which the Secretary immediately suspends a person's license under this Section, a hearing on that person's license must be convened by the Department within 15 days after the suspension and completed without appreciable delay. The Department shall have the authority to review the subject individual's record of treatment and counseling regarding the impairment to the extent permitted by applicable federal statutes and regulations safeguarding the confidentiality of medical records.
An individual licensed under this Act and affected under this Section shall be afforded an opportunity to demonstrate to the Department that he or she can resume practice in compliance with acceptable and prevailing standards under the provisions of his or her license.
(Source: P.A. 97-226, eff. 7-28-11; 97-877, eff. 8-2-12; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015