Sec. 20-202. Disciplinary action; grounds.
Sec. 20-202. Disciplinary action; grounds. After notice and opportunity for hearing as provided in the regulations established by the Commissioner of Public Health,
said board may take any of the actions set forth in section 19a-17 for any of the following
causes: (1) The presentation to the board of any diploma, license or certificate illegally
or fraudulently obtained; (2) proof that the holder of such license or certificate has
become unfit or incompetent or has been guilty of cruelty, unskillfulness or negligence
towards animals and birds; (3) conviction of the violation of any of the provisions of
this chapter by any court of criminal jurisdiction, provided no license or registration
shall be revoked or suspended because of such conviction if an appeal to a higher court
has been filed until such appeal has been determined by the higher court and the conviction sustained; (4) the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or the refusal to
comply with any of said provisions; (5) the publication or circulation of any statement
of a character tending to deceive or mislead the public; (6) the supplying of drugs,
biologics, instruments or any substances or devices by which unqualified persons may
practice veterinary medicine, surgery and dentistry, except that such drugs, biologics,
instruments, substances or devices may be supplied to a farmer for his own animals or
birds; (7) fraudulent issue or use of any health certificate, vaccination certificate, test
chart or other blank form used in the practice of veterinary medicine relating to the
dissemination of animal disease, transportation of diseased animals or the sale of inedible
products of animal origin for human consumption; (8) knowingly having professional
association with, or knowingly employing any person who is unlawfully practicing
veterinary medicine; (9) failure to keep veterinary premises and equipment in a clean
and sanitary condition; (10) physical or mental illness, emotional disorder or loss of
motor skill, including but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process; or (11)
abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals. A violation
of any of the provisions of this chapter by any unlicensed employee in the practice of
veterinary medicine, with the knowledge of his employer, shall be deemed a violation
thereof by his employer. The Commissioner of Public Health may order a license holder
to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination if his physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation. Said commissioner may petition
the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enforce such order or any action
taken pursuant to section 19a-17.
(1949 Rev., S. 4604; 1957, P.A. 360, S. 4; P.A. 77-614, S. 266, 610; P.A. 79-262, S. 2; P.A. 80-484, S. 80, 176; P.A.
88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-220, S. 4-6; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58;
95-271, S. 38, 40.)
History: P.A. 77-614 specified that there must be notice and opportunity for hearing before revocation or suspension
of license, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-262 added Subdivs. (15) and (16) allowing suspension or revocation of license
for having professional association with or employing unlawful practitioner or failure to maintain sanitary conditions; P.A.
80-484 extended applicability to disciplinary actions listed in Sec. 19-4s, rewrote and moved provisions re grounds for
disciplinary action involving felony conviction and vice or drug addiction, replaced regulations of consumer protection
commissioner with regulations of health services commissioner, deleted Subdivs. (3) re conviction of crime of moral
turpitude, (7) to (11) re various types of advertising and (12) re unprofessional conduct, added new Subdivs. re grounds
of physical or mental illness, etc., renumbering and numbering as necessary, and added provisions re physical and mental
examinations and re petitions to court for enforcement of orders or actions; P.A. 88-230 replaced "judicial district of
Hartford-New Britain" with "judicial district of Hartford", effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective
date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health
services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the
effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced
Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public
Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-271 amended Subdiv. (2) to require "negligence" rather than "gross negligence".
Injury to animal not required for veterinarian to be determined negligent, where such veterinarian supervised employee,
with no educational training, in neutering cats. 109 CA 113.