(a) The Community Care Licensing Division of the department shall regulate child care licensees through an organizational unit that is separate from that used to regulate all other licensing programs. The chief of the child care licensing branch shall report directly to the Deputy Director of the Community Care Licensing Division.
(b) All child care regulatory functions of the licensing division, including the adoption and interpretation of regulations, staff training, monitoring and enforcement functions, administrative support functions, and child care advocacy responsibilities shall be carried out by the child care licensing branch to the extent that separation of these activities can be accomplished without new costs to the department.
(c) Those persons conducting inspections of day care facilities shall meet qualifications approved by the State Personnel Board.
(d) The department shall notify the appropriate legislative committees whenever actual staffing levels of licensing program analysts within the child care licensing branch drops more than 10 percent below authorized positions.
(e) The budget for the child care licensing branch shall be included as a separate entry within the budget of the department.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 538, Sec. 362. Effective January 1, 2007.)