HOUSE BILL No. 4643

 

March 19, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Johnson and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1979 PA 218, entitled

 

"Adult foster care facility licensing act,"

 

by amending sections 13, 16, and 18 (MCL 400.713, 400.716, and

 

400.718), section 13 as amended by 2004 PA 281.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 13. (1) A person, partnership, corporation, association,

 

or a department or agency of the state, county, city, or other

 

political subdivision shall not establish or maintain an adult

 

foster care facility unless licensed by the department.

 

     (2) Application for a license shall be made on forms provided

 

and in the manner prescribed by the department. The application

 

shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed in section 13a.

 

     (3) Before issuing or renewing a license, the department shall

 

investigate the activities and standards of care of the applicant

 


and shall make an on-site evaluation of the facility. On-site

 

inspections conducted in response to the application may be

 

conducted without prior notice to the applicant. Subject to

 

subsections (9), (10), and (11), and (19), the department shall

 

issue or renew a license if satisfied as to all of the following:

 

     (a) The financial stability of the facility.

 

     (b) The applicant's compliance with this act and rules

 

promulgated under this act.

 

     (c) The good moral character of the applicant , or of the

 

owners, partners, or directors of the facility , if other than the

 

applicant is an individual. Each of these persons shall be not less

 

than 18 years of age.

 

     (d) The physical and emotional ability of the applicant, and

 

the person responsible for the daily operation of the facility to

 

operate an adult foster care facility.

 

     (e) The good moral character of the person responsible for the

 

daily operations of the facility and all employees of the facility.

 

The applicant shall be responsible for assessing the good moral

 

character of the employees of the facility. The person responsible

 

for the daily operation of the facility shall be not less than 18

 

years of age.

 

     (4) The department shall require an applicant or a licensee to

 

disclose the names, addresses, and official positions of all

 

persons who have an ownership interest in the adult foster care

 

facility. If the adult foster care facility is located on or in

 

real estate that is leased, the applicant or licensee shall

 

disclose the name of the lessor of the real estate and any direct

 


or indirect interest that the applicant or licensee has in the

 

lease other than as lessee.

 

     (5) Each license shall state the maximum number of persons to

 

be received for foster care at 1 time.

 

     (6) If applicable, a license shall state the type of

 

specialized program for which certification has been received from

 

the department.

 

     (7) A license shall be issued to a specific person for a

 

facility at a specific location, is nontransferable, and remains

 

the property of the department. The prohibition against transfer of

 

a license to another location does not apply if a licensee's adult

 

foster care facility or home is closed as a result of eminent

 

domain proceedings, if the facility or home, as relocated,

 

otherwise meets the requirements of this act and the rules

 

promulgated under this act.

 

     (8) An applicant or licensee proposing a sale of an adult

 

foster care facility or home to another owner shall provide the

 

department with advance notice of the proposed sale in writing. The

 

applicant or licensee and other parties to the sale shall arrange

 

to meet with specified department representatives and shall obtain

 

before the sale a determination of the items of noncompliance with

 

applicable law and rules that shall be corrected. The department

 

shall notify the respective parties of the items of noncompliance

 

before the change of ownership, shall indicate that the items of

 

noncompliance shall be corrected as a condition of issuance of a

 

license to the new owner, and shall notify the prospective

 

purchaser of all licensure requirements.

 


     (9) The department shall not issue a license to or renew the

 

license of a person who has been convicted of a felony under this

 

act or under chapter XXA of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328,

 

MCL 750.145m to 750.145r. The department shall not issue a license

 

to or renew the license of a person who has been convicted of a

 

misdemeanor under this act or under chapter XXA of the Michigan

 

penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.145m to 750.145r, for a period of

 

10 years after the conviction.

 

     (10) If the department has revoked, suspended, or refused to

 

renew a person's license for an adult foster care facility

 

according to section 22, the department may refuse to issue a

 

license to or renew a license of that person for a period of 5

 

years after the suspension, revocation, or nonrenewal of the

 

license.

 

     (11) The department may refuse to issue a license to or renew

 

the license of an applicant if the department determines that the

 

applicant has a relationship with a former licensee whose license

 

under this act has been suspended, revoked, or nonrenewed under

 

subsection (9) or section 22 or a convicted person to whom a

 

license has been denied under subsection (9). This subsection

 

applies for 5 years after the suspension, revocation, or nonrenewal

 

of the former licensee's license or the denial of the convicted

 

person's license. For purposes of this subsection, an applicant has

 

a relationship with a former licensee or convicted person if the

 

former licensee or convicted person is involved with the facility

 

in 1 or more of the following ways:

 

     (a) Participates in the administration or operation of the

 


facility.

 

     (b) Has a financial interest in the operation of the facility.

 

     (c) Provides care to residents of the facility.

 

     (d) Has contact with residents or staff on the premises of the

 

facility.

 

     (e) Is employed by the facility.

 

     (f) Resides in the facility.

 

     (12) If the department determines that an unlicensed facility

 

is an adult foster care facility, the department shall notify the

 

owner or operator of the facility that it is required to be

 

licensed under this act. A person receiving the notification

 

required under this section who does not apply for a license within

 

30 days is subject to the penalties described in subsection (13).

 

     (13) Subject to subsection (12), a person who violates

 

subsection (1) is guilty of a misdemeanor , punishable by

 

imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than

 

$50,000.00, or both. A person who has been convicted of a violation

 

of subsection (1) who commits a second or subsequent violation is

 

guilty of a felony , punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5

 

years or a fine of not more than $75,000.00, or both.

 

     (14) Beginning the effective date of the amendatory act that

 

added this subsection July 23, 2004, the department shall issue an

 

initial or renewal license not later than 6 months after the

 

applicant files a completed application. Receipt of the application

 

is considered the date the application is received by any agency or

 

department of this state. If the application is considered

 

incomplete by the department, the department shall notify the

 


applicant in writing or make notice electronically available within

 

30 days after receipt of the incomplete application, describing the

 

deficiency and requesting additional information. If the department

 

identifies a deficiency or requires the fulfillment of a corrective

 

action plan, the 6-month period is tolled until either of the

 

following occurs:

 

     (a) Upon notification by the department of a deficiency, until

 

the date the requested information is received by the department.

 

     (b) Upon notification by the department that a corrective

 

action plan is required, until the date the department determines

 

the requirements of the corrective action plan have been met.

 

     (15) The determination of the completeness of an application

 

does not operate as an approval of the application for the license

 

and does not confer eligibility of an applicant determined

 

otherwise ineligible for issuance of a license.

 

     (16) If the department fails to issue or deny a license within

 

the time required by this section, the department shall return the

 

license fee and shall reduce the license fee for the applicant's

 

next renewal application, if any, by 15%. Failure to issue or deny

 

a license within the time period required under this section does

 

not allow the department to otherwise delay processing an

 

application. The completed application shall be placed in sequence

 

with other completed applications received at that same time. The

 

department shall not discriminate against an applicant in the

 

processing of an application based on the fact that the application

 

fee was refunded or discounted under this subsection.

 

     (17) If, on a continual basis, inspections performed by a

 


local health department delay the department in issuing or denying

 

licenses under this act within the 6-month period, the department

 

may use department staff to complete the inspections instead of the

 

local health department causing the delays.

 

     (18) Beginning October 1, 2005, the The director of the

 

department shall submit a report by December 1 of each year to the

 

standing committees and appropriations subcommittees of the senate

 

and house of representatives concerned with human services issues.

 

The director shall include all of the following information in the

 

report concerning the preceding fiscal year:

 

     (a) The number of initial and renewal applications the

 

department received and completed within the 6-month time period

 

described in subsection (14).

 

     (b) The number of applications requiring a request for

 

additional information.

 

     (c) The number of applications rejected.

 

     (d) The number of licenses not issued within the 6-month

 

period.

 

     (e) The average processing time for initial and renewal

 

licenses granted after the 6-month period.

 

     (19) There shall be not more than 1 adult foster care facility

 

per 800 residents within a municipality. In determining whether to

 

approve an application for an adult foster care facility, the

 

department shall consider whether the new adult foster care

 

facility would cause the number of adult foster care facilities to

 

be greater than 1 per 800 residents within a municipality. If the

 

new adult foster care facility would cause the number of adult

 


foster care facilities to be greater than 1 per 800 residents

 

within a municipality, the department shall not issue a license to

 

that adult foster care facility. For the purpose of determining the

 

number of adult foster care facilities in a municipality, the

 

department shall include an adult foster care facility issued a

 

special license under section 18.

 

     (20) (19) As used in this section, "completed application"

 

means an application complete on its face and submitted with any

 

applicable licensing fees as well as any other information,

 

records, approval, security, or similar item required by law or

 

rule from a local unit of government, a federal agency, or a

 

private entity but not from another department or agency of this

 

state. Beginning October 1, 2005, a A completed application does

 

not include a health inspection performed by a local health

 

department.

 

     Sec. 16. (1) Unless Subject to section 13(19), unless the

 

city, village, or township approves a temporary license, a

 

temporary license shall not be granted under this act if the

 

issuance of the license would substantially contribute to an

 

excessive concentration of community residential facilities within

 

a city, village, or township of this state.

 

     (2) A temporary license shall not be granted under this act if

 

the proposed adult foster care facility for more than 6 adults has

 

not obtained zoning approval or obtained a special or conditional

 

use permit if required by an ordinance of the city, village, or

 

township in which the proposed facility is located.

 

     (3) The department shall not issue a temporary license to an

 


adult foster care facility which that does not comply with section

 

16a of Act No. 183 of the Public Acts of 1943, as amended, being

 

section 125.216a of the Michigan Compiled Laws, section 16a of Act

 

No. 184 of the Public Acts of 1943, as amended, being section

 

125.286a of the Michigan Compiled Laws, and section 3b of Act No.

 

207 of the Public Acts of 1921, as amended, being section 125.583b

 

of the Michigan Compiled Laws 206 of the Michigan zoning enabling

 

act, 2006 PA 110, MCL 125.3206.

 

     (4) This section shall not apply to an applicant who has

 

purchased a facility and the facility, at the time of the purchase,

 

or for 1 year preceding the application, was licensed under this

 

act or an act repealed by this act.

 

     Sec. 18. (1) A Subject to section 13(19), a special license

 

may be issued for the duration of the operation of an adult foster

 

care facility if the applicant is a short-term operation.

 

     (2) The department may promulgate rules regulating the

 

issuance and duration of special licenses.

 

     (3) A special license issued under this section must comply

 

with the provisions of section 13(19).