44-3905 Continuing education activities; director; duties; continuing education sponsor; requirements; fee; administrative penalty. - Nebraska Statutes

44-3905. Continuing education activities; director; duties; continuing education sponsor; requirements; fee; administrative penalty.(1)(a) The director shall certify as approved continuing education activities those courses, lectures, seminars, or other instructional programs which he or she determines would be beneficial in improving the product knowledge or service capability of licensees, except that on and after January 1, 2000, the director shall refuse to certify as approved any continuing education activity if the sponsors associated with such continuing education activity are not on the list of approved continuing education sponsors maintained pursuant to subdivision (b) of this subsection. The director may require descriptive information about any continuing education activity and refuse approval of any continuing education activity that does not advance the purposes of sections 44-3901 to 44-3908. The director shall require a nonrefundable fee as established by the director not to exceed fifty dollars for review of any continuing education activity submitted for approval.(b) The director shall maintain a list of persons or entities that the director has approved as continuing education sponsors. Such persons or entities shall meet the qualifications for continuing education sponsors established by the director. The director may require such information about any continuing education sponsor as is necessary to determine whether the continuing education sponsor has met such qualifications. The director shall require a nonrefundable fee as established by the director not to exceed two hundred dollars for approval of any continuing education sponsor. The director may impose an administrative penalty not to exceed two hundred dollars per violation, and, in addition, may remove a continuing education sponsor from the approved continuing education sponsor list, after notice and hearing, if the director determines that the continuing education sponsor has:(i) Failed to maintain compliance with qualifications established by the director pursuant to subdivision (1)(b) of this section;(ii) Advertised, prior to approval, that a course is approved;(iii) Advertised a course in a materially misleading manner;(iv) Submitted a course outline with material inaccuracies in topic content;(v) Presented nonapproved material during the time of an approved course;(vi) Failed to notify course registrants of removal of course approval;(vii) Changed the program teaching method or program content in a material manner without notice to the director;(viii) Failed to present a course for the total amount of time specified in the request for course approval forms submitted to the department;(ix) Failed to issue certificates of completion to all individuals who have satisfactorily completed the approved course;(x) Issued a certificate of completion to an individual who did not complete the approved course;(xi) Issued an inaccurate or incomplete certificate of completion;(xii) Failed to maintain records of certificates issued;(xiii) Failed to report disciplinary action taken by another state licensing authority;(xiv) Committed improprieties in connection with the classification, application for certification, maintenance of records, teaching method, program content, or issuance of certificates for a course or program; or(xv) Failed to respond to the department within fifteen working days after receipt of an inquiry from the department.(2) The director shall certify the number of hours to be awarded for participation in an approved continuing education activity based upon contact or classroom hours.(3) The director shall certify the number of hours to be awarded for successful completion of a correspondence course or program of independent study based upon the number of hours which would be awarded in an equivalent classroom course or program. SourceLaws 1982, LB 274, § 5; Laws 1989, LB 92, § 245; Laws 1993, LB 583, § 92; Laws 1999, LB 260, § 6.