BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 684 (Alejo) - Healing arts: licensees: disciplinary actions ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: June 30, 2015 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 7 - | | | 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: Yes |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 24, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: AB 684 would prohibit the enforcement of an existing prohibition on financial relationships between licensed optometrists and dispensing opticians until January 1, 2017. Fiscal Impact: No significant fiscal impact is anticipated by the Medical Board or the State Board of Optometry. Background: Current law generally prohibits financial relationships between licensed optometrists and dispensing opticians (which can be an individual or a corporation that fills prescription lenses). While this prohibition has existing in law for decades, it has been subject to ongoing legal challenges. In practice, those prohibited financial relationships have existed while state law was under challenge. For example, one-stop shop chains for eyeglasses have either employed optometrists directly or AB 684 (Alejo) Page 1 of ? contracted with optometrists to provide co-located space. Those opticians fill resulting prescriptions on site. Recently, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld state law in this area. Proposed Law: AB 684 would prohibit the enforcement of an existing prohibition on financial relationships between licensed optometrists and dispensing opticians until January 1, 2017. The bill's provisions would only provide protection from enforcement for business relationships that existed before enactment of the bill. This bill is an urgency measure. Related Legislation: AB 595 (Alejo) would authorize in law existing business models under which a registered dispensing optician is located next to an optometrist. That bill is pending in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. -- END --