§30-8-3 Board of optometry; duties; disposition of moneys collected; compensation and expenses.
§30-8-3. Board of optometry; duties; disposition of moneys collected; compensation and expenses.
There shall be a state board of examiners in optometry, known as the "West Virginia board of optometry," which shall consist of five optometrists and two lay members, who shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Each optometric member of the board, at the time of his or her appointment, shall have been a resident and a registered practicing optometrist of this state for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding his or her appointment.
The optometric members of the board in office on the first day of July, two thousand one, shall, unless sooner removed, continue to serve until their successors have been appointed and have qualified. On or before the first day of July, two thousand one, and annually thereafter, as their respective terms expire, the governor shall appoint their successors so that one year he or she shall appoint one member and in each of the two succeeding years he or she shall appoint two members, each for a term of three years commencing on the first day of July. Any member shall be eligible for reappointment.
All fees and other moneys collected by the board pursuant to the provisions of this article shall be kept in a separate fund and expended solely for the purpose of this article. The compensation for the members of the board and all expenses incurred under this article shall be paid from this special fund. No compensation or expense incurred under this article shall be a charge against the general funds of this state.
The board shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, which are not inconsistent with any other provision or section of this article:
(a) For the proper performance of its duties;
(b) To govern the ethical practice of optometry for the safety, protection and welfare of the public; and
(c) To provide for examinations, licensure requirements, continuing education requirements, fees, and to further effectuate the provisions of this article, article one of this chapter, and any other provisions set forth in state or federal law.