2-10,115.

Violations; penalties; appeal of department order; procedure.

(1) Any person shall be guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor for the first violation and a Class II misdemeanor for any subsequent violation of the same nature and in violation of the Plant Protection and Plant Pest Act if that person:

(a) Distributes nursery stock without a nursery stock distributor license issued under the Plant Protection and Plant Pest Act;

(b) Receives nursery stock for further distribution from any person who has not been duly licensed or approved under the act;

(c) Uses any license issued by the department after it has been revoked or has expired, while the licensee was under suspension, or for purposes other than those authorized by the act;

(d) Offers any hindrance or resistance to the department in the carrying out of the act, including, but not limited to, denying or concealing information or denying access to any property relevant to the proper enforcement of the act;

(e) Allows any plant declared a nuisance plant as outlined in section 2-10,107 to exist on such person's property or distributes any such plants or materials capable of harboring plant pests;

(f) Acts as a nursery stock distributor and:

(i) Fails to comply with provisions for treatment or destruction of nursery stock as required by withdrawal-from-distribution orders;

(ii) Distributes any quarantined nursery stock or nursery stock for which a withdrawal-from-distribution order has been issued;

(iii) Distributes nursery stock for the purpose of further distribution to any person in Nebraska not licensed as a nursery stock distributor; or

(iv) Fails to pay all fees required by the act and the rules and regulations;

(g) Distributes nursery stock which is not sound, healthy, reasonably capable of growth, labeled correctly, and free from injurious plant pests;

(h) Distributes plants which have been quarantined or are in a quarantined area;

(i) Violates any item set forth as unlawful in section 2-10,106;

(j) Distributes biological control agents or genetically engineered plant organisms without a permit if a permit is required by the act;

(k) Fails to keep and make available for examination by the department all books, papers, and other information necessary for the enforcement of the act;

(l) Violates any order of the director after such order has become final or upon termination of any review proceeding when the order has been sustained by a court of law; or

(m) Violates any other provision of the Plant Protection and Plant Pest Act.

(2) Any lot or shipment of plants not in compliance with the Plant Protection and Plant Pest Act, the rules and regulations, or both shall be subject to seizure on complaint of the department to a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which such plants are located. If the court finds the plants to be in violation of the act, the rules and regulations, or both and orders the condemnation of the plants, such plants shall be disposed of in any manner deemed necessary by the department. In no instance shall the disposition of the plants be ordered by the court without first giving the claimant an opportunity to apply to the court for release of such plants or for permission to treat or relabel the plants to bring such plants into compliance with the act, the rules and regulations, or both.

(3) It shall be the duty of the Attorney General or the county attorney of the county in which any violation occurs or is about to occur, when notified by the department of a violation or threatened violation, to pursue appropriate proceedings without delay pursuant to this section, subdivision (6) of section 2-1091, or subsection (3) of section 2-10,103.02 or any combination thereof.

(4) Any person adversely affected by an order made by the department pursuant to the Plant Protection and Plant Pest Act may appeal such order, and the appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.