Pennsylvania Licensees Have a Constitutional Right to Work

On Behalf of | Oct 7, 2018 | Firm News, Medical Nursing, Professional License Issues |

On October 4, 2018 Commonwealth Court issued a significant decision in King v. BPOA discussing the Criminal History Record Information Act (“CHRIA”).This statute gives licensing boards a discretionary authority to discipline, suspend, revoke, grant, or deny licensure based upon a criminal conviction related to the practice of a license. CHRIA’s general purpose, however, is to control the collection, maintenance, dissemination or receive a criminal history record information.

Recently,licensing boards use CHRIA to discipline licensees for criminal conduct NOT related to the practice of license. King reiterates CHRIA does not provide standards for Boards to exercise their discretion. Boards must look at their specific and more relevant enabling statutes, the specific board licensing laws. CHRIA does not authorize discipline for a criminal convictions not related to the practice of the profession.

This is why in CHRIA disciplinary cases, those solely based upon a criminal conviction, licensee’s mitigation and rehabilitation evidence is critical. In 1998 King was convicted of indecent assault. He was sentenced to 5-10 years in jail, 10 years probation and supervision under Megan’s law. After parole and King satisfied all terms of his sentence, did not violate probation or parole, properly secured his barber license, and practiced his profession in an unblemished manner. He properly notified the Board of his conviction.

The Barber Board, after a hearing, revoked King’s license based upon the misdemeanor conviction and probationary sentences. King appealed. Commonwealth Court ruled the Barber Board abuses its discretion in revoking the license based upon CHRIA. As the licensee did not violate the Barber licensing statute, there was no other basis to discipline him.

This case is significant because Commonwealth Court relies upon Article 1, Section 1 of Pennsylvania’s Constitution. This Article guarantees Pennsylvania residents the right to engage in any of the occupations of life. By referencing a state constitutional guarantee the court effectively holds this rights outweighs CHRIA’s general purpose, non-mandatory discretionary license disciplinary.

King emphasizes Boards’ general statements of public safety concerns of a future occurrence is not proper evidence upon which it may base a discretionary disciplinary action. The Board abuses its description when it revokes licensure based on supposition that the licensee could potentially be an instructor for female students under the age of 18 or have contact with minor clients. Such speculative reasoning is flawed.

King rejects Board member perceptions that criminal convictions scar licensees’ character forever, with no possibility of rehabilitation. King instructs licensing Board to consider and properly allow for rehabilitation. King follows a line of 2018 Commonwealth Court cases instructing Pennsylvania licensing Boards that CHRIA is a not a proper basis to suspend or revoke a constitutionally secured property right. https://www.phila-criminal-lawyer.com/blog/2018/05/another-appeals-court-reverses-a-pennsylvania-licensing-board-disciplinary-decision.shtml 

Fully employment and hard work is the rule. This is in contrast to many recent cases of which I have written. Commonwealth court is telling the boards as a matter of policy, “let these people work”. Rehabilitation is part and parcel with employment, which is part and parcel with members being productive people in society.

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