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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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32	32	SENATE BILL 1238 By: Garvin
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38	38	AS INTRODUCED
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40	40	An Act relating to child care; amending 10 O.S. 2021,
41	41	Section 406, which relates to investigations;
42	42	requiring the Department of Human S ervices to provide
43	43	certain information to complainants ; providing
44	44	certain identification procedure for findings of
45	45	report; making person liable for w illful or reckless
46	46	false complaint; requiring the Departme nt to
47	47	establish and utilize certain scope and severity
48	48	grid; updating statutory language and reference; and
49	49	providing an effectiv e date.
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54	54	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
55	55	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 10 O.S. 2021, Secti on 406, is
56	56	amended to read as follow s:
57	57	Section 406. A. 1. Except as provided in paragraph 2 of this
58	58	subsection, the Depa rtment of Human Services shall have authority at
59	59	any reasonable time to investigate and ex amine the conditions of any
60	60	child care facility in which a licensee or applican t hereunder
61	61	receives and maintains childr en, and shall have authority at any
62	62	time to require the facility to provide information pertaining to
63	63	children in its care.
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90	90	2. When the Department of Human Services is reviewing the star
91	91	rating of a child care prog ram with a capacity of fifty or more, th e
92	92	comprehensive visit to inspect and examine th e program shall be
93	93	scheduled with the administration of the program at least one (1)
94	94	week in advance of the visit, if requested by th e child care
95	95	facility.
96	96	B. 1. The State Department of Health may visit any licensee or
97	97	applicant at the request of the Department to advise on matters
98	98	affecting the health of children and to inspect the sanitatio n of
99	99	the buildings used for their care.
100	100	2. The State Fire Marshal may visit an y licensee or applicant
101	101	at the request of the Department to advise on matters affecting the
102	102	safety of children and to inspect the condition of the buildings
103	103	used for their care.
104	104	C. 1. Upon receipt of a complaint agains t any child care
105	105	facility alleging a violation of the provisions of the O klahoma
106	106	Child Care Facilities Licensing Ac t, or any licensing standard
107	107	promulgated by the Department, the Department shall conduct a full
108	108	investigation. When a complaint is submitted , the Department shall
109	109	inform the complainant of any potential consequences for willfully
110	110	or recklessly submitting a false complaint including, but not
111	111	limited to, civil liability as describe d in subsection G of this
112	112	section. If upon investigation, it is determined that there are
113	113	reasonable grounds to believe that a facility i s in violation of the
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140	140	Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act or of any standard or
141	141	rule promulgated pursuant t hereto, the Department s hall:
142	142	a. document the complaint,
143	143	b. provide the complaint allegations in writin g to the
144	144	facility involved and, upo n written request by the
145	145	child care facility, provid e a summary of the facts
146	146	used to evaluate the completed complaint, and
147	147	c. document the facility’s plan for correcting any
148	148	substantiated violations.
149	149	2. If the Department determines there has been a viol ation and
150	150	the violation has a direct impact on the health, safety or well-
151	151	being of one or more of the children cared for by the facility, the
152	152	Department shall notify the facility and requ ire correction of the
153	153	violation.
154	154	3. The Department shall notify the facility that failure to
155	155	correct the confirmed violati on can result in the revocation of the
156	156	license, the denial of an application for a license , the issuance of
157	157	an emergency order or the filing of an injunction pursuant to the
158	158	provisions of Section 409 o f this title.
159	159	4. If the facility refuses to co rrect a violation or fails to
160	160	complete the plan of correction, the Departm ent may issue an
161	161	emergency order, revoke the license, or deny the a pplication for a
162	162	license. Nothing in this section or Section 407 o f this title shall
163	163	be construed as preventing the Depart ment from denying an
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190	190	application, revoking a license, or issuing an emergency order for a
191	191	single violation of this act the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities
192	192	Licensing Act, or the rules of the Department promulgated by the
193	193	Director as provided in Secti on 404 of this title.
194	194	5. If the Department determines th ere has been a substantiated
195	195	finding of heinous and shocking abuse by a person responsible for a
196	196	child’s health, safety or welfare, as those terms are defined in
197	197	Section 1-1-105 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes, the
198	198	Department shall notify the child c are facility owner or operator
199	199	and the child care resource and referral organization in writing
200	200	immediately or not lat er than one (1) business day after the
201	201	substantiated finding . Upon receiving notice of a substantiated
202	202	finding, the facility owner or ope rator shall attempt to immediately
203	203	notify, but not later than seve nty-two (72) hours after receiving
204	204	notice of the substantiated finding, parents or legal guardians of
205	205	children attending the facility by certified mail.
206	206	D. Upon the completion of the invest igation of a complaint
207	207	against any child care facility alleging a violation of the
208	208	provisions of the Oklahoma Child Ca re Facilities Licensing Act or
209	209	any licensing standard promulgated thereto by the Department
210	210	Director, the Department shall clearly designa te its findings on the
211	211	first page of the report of the investigati on. The findings shall
212	212	state whether the complaint was substantiated or unsubstantiated .
213	213	The findings shall identify the employee who is the subject of the
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240	240	complaint, but shall not identify the licensee of the child care
241	241	facility unless the licensee was the su bject of the complaint or
242	242	unless otherwise dee med appropriate by the Department.
243	243	E. Information obtained by the Department or Oklahoma Child
244	244	Care Services concerning a report of a vio lation of a licensing
245	245	requirement, or from any licensee regarding children or their
246	246	parents or other relatives shall be deemed confidential and
247	247	privileged communications, shall be properly safeguarded, and shall
248	248	not be accessible to anyone except as herein provided, unless upon
249	249	order of a court of competent jurisdiction . Provided, however, this
250	250	provision shall not prohib it the Department from providing a summary
251	251	of allegations and findings of an inve stigation involving a child
252	252	care facility that does not d isclose identities but that permits
253	253	parents to evaluate the facili ty.
254	254	F. The Department Director shall promulgate rules to establish
255	255	and maintain a grievance process that shall include an anonymous
256	256	complaint system for reporting and inves tigating complaints or
257	257	grievances about employees of the Department who retaliate against a
258	258	child care facility or facility employee.
259	259	G. Any person who willfully or recklessly makes a false
260	260	complaint without a reasonable basis in fact for such a complaint,
261	261	under the provisions of the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities L icensing
262	262	Act, shall be liable in a civil suit for any actu al damages suffered
263	263	by a child care facility or for any punitive damages set by the
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290	290	court or jury which may be allowed in the discretion of the court or
291	291	jury when deemed proper by the court or jury.
292	292	H. The Department shall establish a scope and se verity grid to
293	293	measure the seriousness of violations of the Oklahoma Child Care
294	294	Facilities Licensing Act and shall utilize such scope and severity
295	295	grid in determining penalties for such violations including, but not
296	296	limited to, penalties under Section 407 of this title.
297	297	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 202 4.
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299	299	59-2-2357 DC 12/7/2023 2:01:49 PM

Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1238 Compare Versions