(A) Upon his own motion or upon complaint of any person, the Secretary of State may investigate any charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer to determine if it has violated the provisions of this chapter or has filed an application, or other information required by this chapter, which contains false or misleading statements. The Secretary of State may subpoena or audit persons and require the production of books, papers, and other documents to aid in the investigation of alleged violations of this chapter.
(B) If a charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer fails to file a registration application, statement, report, or other information required to be filed with the Secretary of State by this chapter, or otherwise violates the provisions of this chapter, the Secretary of State must notify the delinquent charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer of this fact by mailing a notice by registered or certified mail, with return receipt requested, to its last known address. If the required registration application, statement, annual report, assurance of voluntary compliance, or other information is not filed, or if the other existing violation is not discontinued, within fifteen days after the formal notification or receipt of the notice, the Secretary of State may assess an administrative fine not to exceed two thousand dollars for each separate violation against the charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer.
(C) In addition to other actions authorized by law, the Secretary of State, if he has reason to believe that one or more of the following acts or violations listed below has occurred or may occur, may bring an action before an administrative law judge to enjoin the charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, commercial co-venturer, or other person from continuing the act or violation, or committing other acts in furtherance of it, and for other relief as the court considers appropriate:
(1) a person knowingly and wilfully operates in violation of the provisions of this chapter;
(2) a person knowingly and wilfully makes a false statement in any registration application, statement, report, or other information required to be filed by this chapter;
(3) a person fails to file a registration statement, annual financial report, or other document required to be filed by this chapter;
(4) a person is using in the solicitation or collection of contributions any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud or to obtain money or property by means of false pretense, representation, or promise;
(5) the officers or representatives of a charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer refuse or fail, after notice, to produce records of the organization; or
(6) the funds raised by solicitation activities are not devoted to the charitable purposes of the charitable organization.
(D) Any registration application, statement, report, or other information required to be filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to this chapter by a charitable organization, professional fundraising counsel, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer which contains false or misleading statements may be rejected by the Secretary of State and returned to the submitting party without being filed.
(E) A person who is assessed an administrative fine, has had his registration suspended, or who is denied registration has thirty days from receipt of certified notice from the Secretary of State to pay the fine or request an evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge. If a person fails to remit fines or request a hearing after the required notice is given and after thirty days from the date of receipt of certified notice has elapsed the Secretary of State may suspend his registration pending final resolution and may bring action before the administrative law judge to enjoin the person from engaging in further charitable solicitation activities in this State. The decision of the administrative law judge may be appealed as provided in Section 1-23-610.
(F) The Secretary of State may exercise the authority granted in this section against a person that operates under the guise or pretense of being an organization exempted by the provisions of Section 33-56-40 or 33-56-50 but is not in fact an organization entitled to the exemption.
HISTORY: 1994 Act No. 461, Section 1; 1996 Act No. 458, Part II, Section 28O; 1998 Act No. 368, Section 16; 2000 Act No. 336, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 387, Sections 17, 18, eff July 1, 2006.
Editor's Note
2006 Act No. 387, Section 53, provides as follows:
"This act is intended to provide a uniform procedure for contested cases and appeals from administrative agencies and to the extent that a provision of this act conflicts with an existing statute or regulation, the provisions of this act are controlling."
2006 Act No. 387, Section 57, provides as follows:
"This act takes effect on July 1, 2006, and applies to any actions pending on or after the effective date of the act. No pending or vested right, civil action, special proceeding, or appeal of a final administrative decision exists under the former law as of the effective date of this act, except for appeals of Department of Health and Environmental Control Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and Environmental Quality Control permits that are before the Administrative Law Court on the effective date of this act and petitions for judicial review that are pending before the circuit court. For those actions only, the department shall hear appeals from the administrative law judges and the circuit court shall hear pending petitions for judicial review in accordance with the former law. Thereafter, any appeal of those actions shall proceed as provided in this act for review. For all other actions pending on the effective date of this act, the action proceeds as provided in this act for review."
Effect of Amendment
The 2006 amendment, in subsection (C), in the introductory paragraph added "before an administrative law judge" and substituted "committing" for "doing any"; and rewrote subsection (E).