The Department of Public Health may refuse to grant a license or the board may take any of the actions set forth in section 19a-17 against a licensee or registrant if it finds the existence of any of the following grounds:

1. (1) The practice of any fraud or deceit in obtaining or attempting to obtain a license or registration;
2. (2) violation of the statutes or regulations of said department relative to the business of embalming or funeral directing in this state;
3. (3) the conviction of a crime in the course of professional activities;
4. (4) incompetency, negligence or misconduct in the carrying on of such business or profession;
5. (5) violation of or noncompliance with the provisions of this chapter or the rules established hereunder;
6. (6) loaning, borrowing or using a license of another, or knowingly aiding or abetting in any way the granting of an improper license;
7. (7) aiding or abetting the practice of embalming or funeral directing by an unlicensed person;
8. (8) physical or mental illness, emotional disorder or loss of motor skill, including but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process; or
9. (9) abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals. The Commissioner of Public Health may order a license holder to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination if his physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation. Said commissioner may petition the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enforce such order of any action taken pursuant to section 19a-17. The Department of Public Health shall not refuse to renew any license nor shall the board suspend any such license or registration until the holder thereof has been given notice and opportunity for hearing in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health. Any person aggrieved by the action of said department in refusing to renew a license or by the action of said board in suspending or revoking any license or registration under the provisions of this chapter or action taken under section 19a-17 may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183. No person whose license or registration is suspended or revoked shall, during such suspension or revocation, enter or engage, either personally or through any corporation, partnership or other organization, or through any agent, in any of the activities which such license or registration entitled such person to engage in; nor shall any such person receive any money or any other valuable consideration on account of engaging in any of such activities. No person shall pay, promise, offer or give to anyone whose license or registration is suspended or revoked any money or other valuable consideration for engaging in any of the activities which such license or registration entitled such person to engage in.

(1949 Rev., S. 4544; 1951, S. 2266d; 1967, P.A. 835, S. 5; P.A. 76-436, S. 429, 681; P.A. 77-603, S. 75, 125; 77-614, S. 438, 587, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 46, 127; 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 80-484, S. 94, 176; P.A. 88-163, S. 4; 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 18-168, S. 33.)

History: 1967 act added provision in Subdiv. (i) that “the department of health shall not refuse to renew any license” and deleted obsolete reference to refusal by board to renew license, added to second sentence of the same Subdivs. “the department of health in refusing to renew license or by the action of” the board and deleted obsolete provision with reference to board's action to “renew” license or registration; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-603 replaced reference to petitions to court with reference to appeals in accordance with Sec. 4-183; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced department of health with department of health services, amended Subdiv. (f) to refer to rules established under chapter rather than to rules of board, rephrased notice and hearing provision with provision for notice and hearing adopted by health services commissioner and deleted remaining appeal provisions, retaining reference to Sec. 4-183, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-280 reiterated changes to appeal provisions; P.A. 80-484 transferred power of board to refuse license to health services department, expanded board's power to suspend or revoke license to include other disciplinary actions under Sec. 19-4s, revised grounds for disciplinary action, replacing conviction of crime of moral turpitude with crime in course of professional activities, deleting misleading advertising as ground, deleting solicitation of patronage by paying commissions or gratuities as ground and adding grounds re physical or mental illness, etc. and re drug abuse, etc. and added provision re physical or mental examinations and re petitions to court for enforcement of orders or actions; P.A. 88-163 added references to inspection certificates; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 18-168 deleted references to inspection certificate, and made technical changes.