(A) The director of agriculture may refuse to grant or may suspend a small dealer's, dealer's, or broker's license, without prior hearing, after determining from evidence presented to the director that there is reasonable cause to believe any of the following situations exist:

(1) Where the applicant or licensee or an employee has violated the laws of the state or official regulations governing the interstate or intrastate movement, shipment, or transportation of animals, or has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or convicted of a felony;

(2) Where there have been false or misleading statements as to the health or physical condition of the animals with regard to official tests or quantity of animals, or the practice of fraud or misrepresentation in connection therewith or in the buying or receiving of animals or receiving, selling, exchanging, soliciting, or negotiating the sale, resale, exchange, weighing, or shipment of animals;

(3) Where the applicant or licensee acts as a small dealer, dealer, or broker for a person attempting to conduct business in violation of section 943.02 of the Revised Code, after the notice of the violation has been given to the licensee by the department of agriculture;

(4) Where the applicant or licensee or employee fails to practice measures of sanitation, disinfection, and inspection as required by sections 943.01 to 943.18 of the Revised Code, or prescribed by the department, of premises or vehicles used for the yarding, holding, or transporting of animals;

(5) Where there has been a failure to keep records required by the department or where there is a refusal on the part of the applicant or licensee or employee to produce records of transactions in the carrying on of the business for which the license is granted;

(6) Where the applicant or licensee providing weighing facilities used for, in connection with, or incident to the purchase or sale of livestock for the account of the licensee or others, fails to maintain and operate the weighing facilities in accordance with sections 943.08 and 943.10 of the Revised Code;

(7) Where the applicant or licensee in the conduct of the business covered by the license fails to maintain and operate weighing facilities in accordance with sections 943.08 and 943.10 of the Revised Code or fails to cause its livestock to be weighed by licensed weighers as provided in those sections;

(8) With regard to a dealer or broker licensee, where the licensee fails to maintain a bond or deposit, or letter of credit, if applicable, or fails to adjust the bond or deposit upon thirty days' notice or refuses or neglects to pay the fees or inspection charges required to be paid;

(9) Where the licensee has been suspended by order of the secretary of agriculture of the United States department of agriculture under provisions of the "Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921," 42 Stat. 159, 7 U.S.C.A. 181, as amended;

(10) With regard to a dealer or broker licensee, where the surety company, trustee, or issuer of a letter of credit of the licensee issues a notice of termination of the licensee's bond agreement, deposit agreement, or letter of credit;

(11) Where the applicant has had a small dealer's, dealer's, or broker's license revoked or has had a small dealer's, dealer's, or broker's license suspended two or more times in the previous five years.

(B) When the director refuses to grant or suspends a small dealer's, dealer's, or broker's license, the director or the director's designee may hand deliver the order. The licensee to whom a suspension order is issued shall be afforded a hearing in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, after which the director shall reinstate, revoke, or suspend for a longer or indefinite period the suspended license.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.42, HB 229, §1, eff. 10/17/2011.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.

Effective Date: 06-20-1994