Conditions for prohibition of disciplinary action for invalidation of examination score

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 20-213, 20-217 and 20-227, the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Embalmers and Funeral Directors and the Department of Public Health shall not take any disciplinary action pursuant to section 20-227 against a licensed embalmer or funeral director who received notification on or before October 1, 2017, that the licensee's score on the national board examination was invalidated as a result of the invalidation of such score if the licensee (1) retakes and successfully completes the prescribed examination not later than October 1, 2018, or (2) completes forty-five hours of continuing education and submits certificates of course completion to the department on or before July 1, 2019. The hours of continuing education under this subsection shall be in addition to the hours required under section 20-219a. (b) At least six of the hours under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section shall be in the area of ethics. The remaining hours shall be in areas related to the licensee's practice, including, but not limited to, bereavement care, business management and administration, religious customs and traditions related to funerals, cremation services, cemetery services, natural sciences, preneed services, restorative arts and embalming, counseling, funeral service merchandising, sanitation and infection control, organ donation or hospice care. The continuing education under said subdivision shall consist of courses offered or approved by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, educational offerings by a hospital or other licensed health care institution or courses offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education. (c) Any affected licensee who fails to successfully complete the examination on or before October 1, 2018, or fails to complete the hours of continuing education under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section on or before July 1, 2019, shall have his or her license to practice as an embalmer or funeral director annulled, subject to the provisions of section 4-182.