102 STAT. 2582
PUBLIC LAW 100-517—OCT. 24, 1988
organization and which the Secretary determines will when it becomes operational provide basic and supplemental health services to its members in the manner prescribed by section 1301(b) and will be organized and operated in the manner prescribed by section 1301(c). "(d)(1) Any employer who knowingly does not comply with one or more of the requirements of paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $10,000. If such noncompliance continues, a civil penalty may be assessed and collected under this subsection for each thirty-day period such noncompliance continues. Such penalty may be assessed by the Secretary and collected in a civil action brought by the United States in a United States district court. • "(2) In any proceeding by the Secretary to assess a civil penalty under this subsection, no penalty shall be assessed until the employer charged shall have been given notice and an opportunity to present its views on such charge. In determining the amount of the penalty, or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the Secretary shall consider the gravity of the noncompliance and the demonstrated good faith of the employer charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance after notification by the Secretary of a noncompliance. "(3) In any civil action brought to review the assessment of a civil penalty assessed under this subsection, the court shall, at the request of any party to such action, hold a trial de novo on the assessment of such civil penalty and in any civil action to collect such a civil penalty, the court shall, at the request of any party to such action, hold a trial de novo on the assessment of such civil penalty unless in a prior civil action to review the assessment of such penalty the court held a trial de novo on such assessment. "(e) For purposes of this section, the term "employer" does not include (1) the Government of the United States, the government of the District of Columbia or any territory or possession of the United States, a State or any political subdivision thereof, or any agency or instrumentality (including the United States Postal Service and Postal Rate Commission) of any of the foregoing, except that such term includes nonappropriated fund instrumentalities of the Government of the United States; or (2) a church, convention or association of churches, or any organization operated, supervised or controlled by a church, convention or association of churches which organization (A) is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and (B) does not discriminate (i) in the employment, compensation, promotion, or termination of employment of any personnel, or (ii) in the extension of staff or other privileges to any physician or other health personnel, because such persons seek to obtain or obtained health care, or participate in providing health care, through a health maintenance organization. "(f) If the Secretary, after reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing to a State, finds that it or any of its political subdivisions has failed to comply with paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b), the Secretary shall terminate payments to such State under sections 317, 318, and 1002 and notify the Governor of such State that further payments under such sections will not be made to the State until the Secretary is satisfied that there will no longer be any such failure to comply.".
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