Section 11165.2 Of Article 1. Requirements Of Prescriptions From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 10. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 1.
11165.2
. (a) The Department of Justice may conduct audits of the
CURES Prescription Drug Monitoring Program system and its users.
(b) The Department of Justice may establish, by regulation, a
system for the issuance to a CURES Prescription Drug Monitoring
Program subscriber of a citation which may contain an order of
abatement, or an order to pay an administrative fine assessed by the
Department of Justice if the subscriber is in violation of any
provision of this chapter or any regulation adopted by the Department
of Justice pursuant to this chapter.
(c) The system shall contain the following provisions:
(1) Citations shall be in writing and shall describe with
particularity the nature of the violation, including specific
reference to the provision of law or regulation of the department
determined to have been violated.
(2) Whenever appropriate, the citation shall contain an order of
abatement establishing a reasonable time for abatement of the
violation.
(3) In no event shall the administrative fine assessed by the
department exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each
violation. In assessing a fine, due consideration shall be given to
the appropriateness of the amount of the fine with respect to such
factors as the gravity of the violation, the good faith of the
subscribers, and the history of previous violations.
(4) An order of abatement or a fine assessment issued pursuant to
a citation shall inform the subscriber that if the subscriber desires
a hearing to contest the finding of a violation, a hearing shall be
requested by written notice to the CURES Prescription Drug Monitoring
Program within 30 days of the date of issuance of the citation or
assessment. Hearings shall be held pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing
with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code.
(5) In addition to requesting a hearing, the subscriber may,
within 10 days after service of the citation, request in writing an
opportunity for an informal conference with the department regarding
the citation. At the conclusion of the informal conference, the
department may affirm, modify, or dismiss the citation, including any
fine levied or order of abatement issued. The decision shall be
deemed to be a final order with regard to the citation issued,
including the fine levied or the order of abatement which could
include permanent suspension to the system, a monetary fine, or both,
depending on the gravity of the violation. However, the subscriber
does not waive its right to request a hearing to contest a citation
by requesting an informal conference. If the citation is affirmed, a
formal hearing may be requested within 30 days of the date the
citation was affirmed. If the citation is dismissed after the
informal conference, the request for a hearing on the matter of the
citation shall be deemed to be withdrawn. If the citation, including
any fine levied or order of abatement, is modified, the citation
originally issued shall be considered withdrawn and a new citation
issued. If a hearing is requested for a subsequent citation, it shall
be requested within 30 days of service of that subsequent citation.
(6) Failure of a subscriber to pay a fine within 30 days of the
date of assessment or comply with an order of abatement within the
fixed time, unless the citation is being appealed, may result in
disciplinary action taken by the department. If a citation is not
contested and a fine is not paid, the subscriber account will be
terminated:
(A) A citation may be issued without the assessment of an
administrative fine.
(B) Assessment of administrative fines may be limited to only
particular violations of law or department regulations.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a fine is paid
to satisfy an assessment based on the finding of a violation, payment
of the fine shall be represented as a satisfactory resolution of the
matter for purposes of public disclosure.
(e) Administrative fines collected pursuant to this section shall
be deposited in the CURES Program Special Fund, available upon
appropriation by the Legislature. These special funds shall provide
support for costs associated with informal and formal hearings,
maintenance, and updates to the CURES Prescription Drug Monitoring
Program.
(f) The sanctions authorized under this section shall be separate
from, and in addition to, any other administrative, civil, or
criminal remedies; however, a criminal action may not be initiated
for a specific offense if a citation has been issued pursuant to this
section for that offense, and a citation may not be issued pursuant
to this section for a specific offense if a criminal action for that
offense has been filed.
(g) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent the
department from serving and prosecuting an accusation to suspend or
revoke a subscriber if grounds for that suspension or revocation
exist.