02/22/1996 08:25 AM House STA

 HB 405 - EXTEND BOARD OF OPTOMETRISTS                                       
                                                                               
 The next order of business to come before the House State Affairs             
 Committee was CSHB 405(STA).                                                  
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES called on Walter Wilcox, Legislative Assistant, House             
 State Affairs Committee, to present the committee substitute.                 
                                                                               
 Number 0133                                                                   
                                                                               
 WALT WILCOX, Legislative Assistant, House State Affairs Committee,            
 requested Catherine Reardon, Director, Division of Occupational               
 Licensing, to join him at the table.  He also announced Jeffrey               
 Gonnason, O.D. was on line in Anchorage to testify regarding the              
 changes in the committee substitute.                                          
                                                                               
 Number 0171                                                                   
                                                                               
 JEFFREY GONNASON, O.D., American Optometric Association, said CSHB
(STA) extended the optometry licensing board, and contained the            
 amendments suggested by the state legislative audit.  It repealed             
 sections to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),            
 repealed the section on branch licenses, and added language to                
 clarify the delegation of duties to employees of licensed                     
 physicians and optometrists, and lastly, clarified the exemption              
 from the optician chapter.  He explained licensed physicians and              
 optometrists had always utilized assistants in their practice such            
 as opticians.  He explained in 1980 changes were made to the                  
 optician audit of which included the surreptitious removal of the             
 exemption.  He said this caused a conflict of the laws.  He said he           
 tried to resolve this in regulation as the optometry board                    
 president in 1988, but discovered it needed to be resolved in                 
 statute.  The recent audits of the board of opticians and the board           
 of optometrist pointed out the conflict so CSHB 405(STA) resolved             
 this problem by clarifying that doctors may delegate duties to                
 their employees in their office and under their supervision, and              
 that these employees, who the doctor was responsible for, were                
 exempt from the optician law.  This bill, however, would not change           
 current practices.                                                            
                                                                               
 Number 0298                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES called on Catherine Reardon, Division of Occupational             
 Licensing, to testify.                                                        
                                                                               
 Number 0306                                                                   
                                                                               
 CATHERINE REARDON, Director, Central Office, Division of                      
 Occupational Licensing, Department of Commerce and Economic                   
 Development, explained CSHB 405(STA) resolved the conflict issue              
 discussed the last time the bill was presented to the House State             
 Affairs Committee members.                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 0321                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES announced the Board of Dispensing Opticians also                  
 supported the committee substitute.  She further announced she                
 would like to move the bill to the next committee of referral.                
                                                                               
 Number 0338                                                                   
                                                                               
 MR. WILCOX explained Dr. Madson in Juneau, Dr. Gonnason in                    
 Anchorage, and the department suggested adding to page 1, line 11,            
 the word "opticianry" after the word "delegated," and to page 2,              
 line 15, the word "opticianry" after the word "perform."                      
                                                                               
 Number 0390                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN moved to adopt CSHB 405(STA) for consideration.           
 Hearing no objection it was so adopted.                                       
                                                                               
 Number 0397                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN moved that page 1, line 11, the word                      
 "opticianry" be inserted after the word "delegated," and that page            
 2, line 15, the word "opticianry" be inserted after the word                  
 "perform."  Hearing no objection, it was so amended.                          
                                                                               
 Number 0424                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN moved that CSHB 405(STA) as amended move from             
 the committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal             
 note.  Hearing no objection, it was so moved from the House State             
 Affairs Committee.