(2) develop and provide each applicant with information describing the services offered to applicants by the commissioner and explaining the penalties for operating an unlicensed program or failing to fully comply with the commissioner’s correction orders or applicable laws or rules; (3) upon request, interpret rules for applicants and license holders; and (4) take measures to ensure that rules are enforced uniformly throughout the state. Subd. 6. Consultation with affected parties. In developing rules, the commissioner shall request and receive consultation from: other state departments and agencies; counties and other affected political subdivisions that reflect the diversity of political subdivisions affected by the rule; persons and relatives of persons using the program governed by the rule; advocacy groups; and representatives of license holders affected by the rule. In choosing parties for consultation, the commissioner shall choose individuals and representatives of groups that reflect a cross section of urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state. Subd. 7. Regulatory methods. (a) Where appropriate and feasible the commissioner shall identify and implement alternative methods of regulation and enforcement to the extent authorized in this subdivision. These methods shall include: (1) expansion of the types and categories of licenses that may be granted; (2) when the standards of another state or federal governmental agency or an independent accreditation body have been shown to require the same standards, methods, or alternative methods to achieve substantially the same intended outcomes as the licensing standards, the commissioner shall consider compliance with the governmental or accreditation standards to be equivalent to partial compliance with the licensing standards; and (3) use of an abbreviated inspection that employs key standards that have been shown to predict full compliance with the rules. (b) If the commissioner accepts accreditation as documentation of compliance with a licensing standard under paragraph (a), the commissioner shall continue to investigate complaints related to noncompliance with all licensing standards. The commissioner may take a licensing action for noncompliance under this chapter and shall recognize all existing appeal rights regarding any licensing actions taken under this chapter. (c) The commissioner shall work with the commissioners of health, public safety, administration, and education in consolidating duplicative licensing and certification rules and standards if the commissioner determines that consolidation is administratively feasible, would significantly reduce the cost of licensing, and would not reduce the protection given to persons receiving services in licensed programs. Where administratively feasible and appropriate, the commissioner shall work with the commissioners of health, public safety, administration, and education in conducting joint agency inspections of programs.
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