OCULARIST REGULATION REPEAL S.B. 607 & H.B. 4392:
SUMMARY AS ENACTED
Senate Bill 607 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 155 of 2014
House Bill 4392 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 156 of 2014
Sponsor: Senator Roger Kahn, M.D. (S.B. 607)
Representative Harold Haugh (H.B. 4392)
Senate Committee: Regulatory Reform
House Committee: Regulatory Reform
CONTENT
House Bill 4392 repealed Article 27 of the Occupational Code, which regulated and provided for the registration of ocularists.
Senate Bill 607 repealed Section 62 of the State License Fee Act, which specified various fees for registration as an ocularist.
The bills were tie-barred and took effect on June 11, 2014.
House Bill 4329
Article 27 specified requirements for registration as an ocularist, and required the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to issue an apprentice registration to a person who applied for registration and furnished verification from an ocularist stating the applicant was receiving training under his or her direct supervision.
Article 27 defined "ocularist" as an individual registered as an ocularist. "Practice of ocularism" meant one or more of the following:
-- The design and fabrication of ocular prosthetic appliances.
-- The fitting of ocular prosthetic appliances.
-- The performance of necessary procedures to provide an ocular prosthetic service for the patient in the ocularist's office or laboratory.
Senate Bill 607
Section 62 of the State License Fee Act had set fees for a person registered or seeking registration as an ocularist or an apprentice ocularist under Article 27 of the Occupational Code, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1
|
Fee Type |
Amount |
|
Application processing fee until 9-30-15 |
$35 |
|
Application processing fee after 9-30-15 |
$15 |
|
Registration fee for ocularist, per year until 9-30-15 |
$40 |
|
Registration fee for ocularist, per year after 9-30-15 |
$20 |
|
Registration fee for apprentice, per year until 9-30-15 |
$20 |
|
Registration fee for apprentice, per year after 9-30-15 |
$10 |
MCL 338.2262 (S.B. 607) Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
339.2701-339.2721 (H.B. 4392)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills will have a likely neutral fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The bills removed requirements for ocularists to register and pay registration fees. According to the Department, there were 14 individuals registered as ocularists, each of whom paid a $40 fee annually to maintain registration. Under the bills, the Department will lose this revenue, but also will no longer incur costs associated with registering ocularists. It is expected that this will have a neutral fiscal impact on the Department.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.