(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any adoption facilitator who operates without having met the requirements established in Section 8632.5 for inclusion into the adoption facilitator registry may be assessed by the department an immediate civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100) per day of the violation.
(b) The civil penalty authorized in subdivision (a) shall be imposed if an adoption facilitator is involved in the facilitation of adoptions and the adoption facilitator refuses to seek inclusion in the adoption facilitator registry or if the adoption facilitator’s application for inclusion into the adoption facilitator registry is denied and the adoption facilitator continues to facilitate adoptions, unless other available remedies, including criminal prosecution, are deemed more effective by the department.
(c) An adoption facilitator may appeal the assessment to the director.
(d) The department shall adopt regulations implementing this section, including the appeal process authorized in subdivision (c).
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 534, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2009.)