Sec. 4. (a) The agency shall employ necessary staff, including specialists and professionals, to carry out the administrative duties and functions of the boards, including but not limited to:

(1) notice of board meetings and other communication services;

(2) recordkeeping of board meetings, proceedings, and actions;

(3) recordkeeping of all persons licensed, regulated, or certified by a board;

(4) administration of examinations; and

(5) administration of license or certificate issuance or renewal.

(b) In addition, the agency:

(1) shall prepare a consolidated statement of the budget requests of all the boards described in IC 25-0.5-5;

(2) may coordinate licensing or certification renewal cycles, examination schedules, or other routine activities to efficiently utilize agency staff, facilities, and transportation resources, and to improve accessibility of board functions to the public;

(3) may consolidate, where feasible, office space, recordkeeping, and data processing services; and

(4) shall operate and maintain the electronic registry of professions established under IC 25-1-5.5.

(c) In administering the renewal of licenses or certificates under this chapter, the agency shall send a notice of the upcoming expiration of a license or certificate to each holder of a license or certificate at least ninety (90) days before the expiration of the license or certificate. The notice must inform the holder of the license or certificate of the need to renew and the requirement of payment of the renewal fee. If this notice of expiration is not sent by the agency, the holder of the license or certificate is not subject to a sanction for failure to renew if, once notice is received from the agency, the license or certificate is renewed within forty-five (45) days after receipt of the notice.

(d) In administering an examination for licensure or certification, the agency shall make the appropriate application forms available at least thirty (30) days before the deadline for submitting an application to all persons wishing to take the examination.

(e) The agency may require an applicant for license renewal to submit evidence proving that:

(1) the applicant continues to meet the minimum requirements for licensure; and

(2) the applicant is not in violation of:

(A) the statute regulating the applicant's profession; or

(B) rules adopted by the board regulating the applicant's profession.

(f) The agency shall process an application for renewal of a license or certificate:

(1) not later than ten (10) days after the agency receives all required forms and evidence; or

(2) within twenty-four (24) hours after the time that an applicant for renewal appears in person at the agency with all required forms and evidence.

This subsection does not require the agency to issue a renewal license or certificate to an applicant if subsection (g) applies.

(g) The agency may delay issuing a license renewal for up to one hundred twenty (120) days after the renewal date for the purpose of permitting the board to investigate information received by the agency that the applicant for renewal may have committed an act for which the applicant may be disciplined. If the agency delays issuing a license renewal, the agency shall notify the applicant that the applicant is being investigated. Except as provided in subsection (h), before the end of the one hundred twenty (120) day period, the board shall do one (1) of the following:

(1) Deny the license renewal following a personal appearance by the applicant before the board.

(2) Issue the license renewal upon satisfaction of all other conditions for renewal.

(3) Issue the license renewal and file a complaint under IC 25-1-7.

(4) Upon agreement of the applicant and the board and following a personal appearance by the applicant before the board, renew the license and place the applicant on probation status under IC 25-1-9-9.

(h) If an individual fails to appear before the board under subsection (g), the board may take action on the applicant's license allowed under subsection (g)(1), (g)(2), or (g)(3).

(i) The applicant's license remains valid until the final determination of the board is rendered unless the renewal is denied or the license is summarily suspended under IC 25-1-9-10.

(j) The license of the applicant for a license renewal remains valid during the one hundred twenty (120) day period unless the license renewal is denied following a personal appearance by the applicant before the board before the end of the one hundred twenty (120) day period. If the one hundred twenty (120) day period expires without action by the board, the license shall be automatically renewed at the end of the one hundred twenty (120) day period.

(k) The board's renewal of a license does not preclude the board from imposing sanctions on the licensee as a result of a complaint filed by the attorney general after renewal of the license.

(l) Notwithstanding any other statute, the agency may stagger license or certificate renewal cycles. However, if a renewal cycle for a specific board or committee is changed, the agency must obtain the approval of the affected board or committee.

(m) An application for a license, certificate, registration, or permit is abandoned without an action of the board, if the applicant does not complete the requirements to complete the application within one (1) year after the date on which the application was filed. However, the board may, for good cause shown, extend the validity of the application for additional thirty (30) day periods. An application submitted after the abandonment of an application is considered a new application.

As added by Acts 1981, P.L.222, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.169-1985, SEC.25; P.L.149-1987, SEC.19; P.L.22-1999, SEC.1; P.L.44-2000, SEC.1; P.L.75-2002, SEC.1; P.L.206-2005, SEC.4; P.L.177-2009, SEC.14; P.L.3-2014, SEC.12; P.L.177-2015, SEC.8; P.L.78-2017, SEC.4.